


Stories From the Auntie Hornet Universe

by Hisha



Series: Auntie Hornet [9]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Game), Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Chapter length may vary, F/F, Female Grimm, Gen, Getting Back Together, Hornet raised Grimmchild, Memory Loss, Post-Dream No More Ending (Hollow Knight), Some chapters are not in chronological order, Tags May Change, but won't go above a T rating, female Grimmchild, original character death, past relationship, ratings may vary between chapters, the last two tags apply to the same character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 26,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21806548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hisha/pseuds/Hisha
Summary: Bonus stories for the Auntie Hornet universe that couldn't quite fit in the main series will be posted here for those who want more.
Relationships: Grimm (Hollow Knight)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Auntie Hornet [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1453414
Comments: 68
Kudos: 62





	1. What Now?

**Author's Note:**

> I guess the series isn't over after all! I wanted to write a short little epilogue thing. It ended up being about four pages long. Enjoy!  
> If you have questions/suggestions to submit, you can do so either here or on my tumblr hishap.tumblr.com

Atalanta woke up on Hornet's couch for the second time. She got up and did her morning stretches purely out of habit and without even thinking about it. What occupied her mind was everything her gracious host had explained.

It was a lot of information to take in and she wasn't even convinced Hornet had given all of it yet.

She had lost... a good chunk of her life. The last thing Atalanta remembered clearly was finding her brother's corpse. What led up to this and what happened after was a blur. And after that...

Her train of thought and exercise were interrupted by Hornet entering the room and offering her breakfast, which she accepted.

Around the table, the butterfly asked her host to explain a few points again, which she did the best she could.

“So if Scarlet was there with me”, Atalanta eventually said, “someone else must have seen her...”

“If you wish to ask around your former home, I could take you there”, Hornet offered.

“Yes, thank you. And... there's also someone else I need to visit.”

After stepping out of the Gate with Hornet and some of her subjects, Atalanta flew straight to her brother's grave. There was moss growing on the sides now but the writing remained completely free of obstruction. Maybe she visited it before to clear the center?

“Hi”, she said. “I don't know- and I mean I _really_ don't know when was the last time I visited. 'Been having some memory problems. And... apparently I've joined some kind of... cult? But it doesn't exist anymore I guess. And I got... an ex I don't remember. To be fair, she doesn't remember me either.”

She crouched down in front of the small, hand-made headstone.

“I don't know what to do”, she continued. “I can't go back home without you in it. I wanted to leave, and I did. But what now?”

She sighed. She doubted her brother would have been able to answer this question even if he were alive ; no-one could truly answer it for her.

“I have to... piece back together what happened”, she stated. “And learn more about Scarlet. I... Well, it's not my fault we lost our memories... Or maybe it is? But I couldn't have known? Either way, I feel bad for not remembering her... you know?”

After a long silence and one last goodbye, Atalanta got up and flew to the hollow tree she used to live in. While passing in front of the window, she saw bugs she did not recognise eating at the table. She lowered herself to the main entrance of the tree before being spotted.

Once on the ground in the doorway, she stopped to think about what she should do. Going to her old apartment was out of the question with the strangers living there now. If her former neighbours were still there, she could ask them a few questions.

She climbed to her floor and stopped in front of her next door neighbours' door, thinking about what to say. She didn't speak with them much before and dreaded how awkward this encounter was sure to be.

Hesitantly, she knocked on the door, part of her hopping it would be left unanswered.

Her old neighbour, a smaller woodlouse, did open the door and stared up at her in stunned silence for a moment before collecting himself and finally speaking :

“Hum, hi. I did not expect to see you again after so long.”

“Yes, well...” Atalanta hesitated. “I... I've been having some memory problems and- well. What can you tell me about... what happened in last few months I spent here?”

“What about that very tall one who'd visit you all the time back then?” the neighbour asked. “Wouldn't they be a better person to ask?”

“She lost her memory too. More than me, actually. She doesn't remember _anything_.”

“Oh...”

It was his turn to hesitate.

“After your brother disappeared we'd see her around all the time”, he remembered. “And then after, like... a couple months of this, we started hearing things.”

“What kind of things?”

The silence which followed this question might have only lasted a few seconds, but to them both those felt like an agonisingly long time.

“...Ah, screw it”, the woodlouse eventually said. “No point dancing around it. We started hearing you mate. Loudly. And regularly. Until one day you just up and left and didn't come back until right now.”

Atalanta would be embarrassed had she and her brother not had to put up with this neighbour and his wife also mating loudly all the time back when she lived here. The temptation to point out that the woodlice finally got a taste of their own medicine was bigger than the hollow tree they were in.

“You mean with...?” she said instead.

“Who else? I don't recall you inviting anyone other than her in that time period.”

“Did you ever speak to her?” the butterfly asked.

“No. Kept my distance. Though, you know that one mosquito who lived right upstairs? He moved away just last week. Anyway this one time he came to yell at you about... something. Probably the noise. Or he just felt like yelling at someone that day. Or he didn't approve of inter-species relationships. I don't really remember but knowing him, I bet it was all of the above. Point is, he was very angry, and then your mate... I don't know what she did to scare him away like that, but it worked so well he didn't leave his apartment for quite some time afterwards. So I guess _not_ approaching her and leaving you two alone was the right choice.”

Knowing that one mosquito upstairs, he had probably at least partially deserved it. She wished she could know for sure though...

Atalanta asked whether the woodlouse remembered anything else of note ; he shook his head no. The two then said goodbye and she left that floor, ending the longest conversation they ever had together.

When Atalanta reunited with Hornet at the Gate, she told her about the one mosquito upstairs incident. The rest of her conversation with her former next door neighbour was best kept private.

“Sounds to me like Scarlet could get... very protective”, Hornet commented. “Whether she still is remains to be seen.”

“New Scarlet is a mystery for everyone, isn't she”, the butterfly pointed out. “Who knows what kind of person she will be now...”

The queen of Dirtmouth simply told her to step through the portal.

Soon, they entered the house and found Scarlet sitting on the couch, cradling her egg. Hornet excused herself and left the other two alone to go attend to her duties.

Atalanta sat on the other end of the couch, leaving Scarlet as much space as possible.

For a while, neither of them said anything. Where to even start?

“So, hum...” the butterfly finally said. “About... About what Hornet said... you know, regarding us...”

“If I understood correctly”, the other continued, “I made a horrible mistake, bugs suffered as a result, and you rightfully didn't want to be with me anymore.”

Atalanta started rubbing the back of her neck with one hand and stopped when she felt the choker she was still wearing. Why did she even have this?

Scarlet kept talking :

“I understand completely. Hearing about past Scarlet- or Grimm or whatever- might feel like hearing about a different person, but... I still have to face the consequences, don't I?”

Atalanta nodded and slid just a little bit closer on the couch. She hesitated a moment before blurting out :

“Myneighbourheardus!”

“Mhm?”

The butterfly explained everything.

“Past me must have been very lucky”, Scarlet said.

“What?”

“Lucky to be with you, I mean. Until she- well, _I_ ruined it.”

She said it all matter-of-factly while slowly adjusting her position on the couch and the egg on her lap.

“What are you going to do now?” Atalanta asked her.

“Take care of what past me left behind”, she replied. “I have to. This include this egg and... the damages. What are _you_ going to do?”

“I have no idea.”

“I am sure you'll find something soon enough.”

The butterfly got slightly closer to Scarlet again.

“Can I show you something?” the latter asked after a moment of silence.

She produced a small object from under her wing. It was circular, made of unidentified material, and there was a face on it. It looked like Scarlet's, but the horns were longer and redder and the eyes were glowing like a flame trapped in a lantern.

“I found this in my bag”, the taller one explained. “I don't know what it is. It makes me feel like I forgot something very important, but... everything does.”

“Have you asked Hornet about it?”

“I plan on doing so once she's back.”

Atalanta took the item in her own hands to examine it more closely. It felt weirdly warm, but whether this came from the material itself or from being in contact with Scarlet was unknown for the moment.

She felt... like she was missing someone she used to know very well yet couldn't remember. Then again, just looking at Scarlet also made her feel that way. A longing for something forgotten.

She kept starring at the item and let her mind wander. She was starting to feel very hot and... getting not very chaste thoughts.

She closed her hand and realised she had gotten even closer to Scarlet and was touching her now. Atalanta got up, gave the item back and went to get herself some water. The thoughts were still persisting at the back of her mind and she tried her best to chase them away. Now wasn't the time.

She asked the other if she wanted a drink as well, but she refused.

Scarlet put her egg back in the bag under her wings and said :

“Young me had quite the book collection. We can read them if you'd like.”

“I... don't think I'd be able to focus on a book right now”, the butterfly answered truthfully.

“That is fair. Are you... Can I help you?”

Atalanta stared blankly at the water reserve and remained silent. By the time her focus was back to present time, Scarlet had left the room, come back with a book and sat back down.

The butterfly went outside to explore Dirtmouth for a moment.

Hornet and Atalanta got back in the house at about the same time to find Scarlet half-sitting, half-lying on the couch while reading a book.

“Some things never change”, her aunt commented.

The princess sat up, set the book down next to her and went through her bag. She showed Hornet the mysterious object from earlier.

“Do you know what this is?” she asked.

“Looks like a charm”, the queen replied. “Similar ones could be found all over Hallownest's ruins before... Before Ghost collected them all, I guess. They can give whoever equips them new powers, or protection, or enhance abilities they already have. You yourself used to be bound to a charm when you were a baby.”

“I was?”

“I guess it must have been a way to protect you : you couldn't be directly harmed as a charm-bound creature. But one day you decided you were strong enough to do without and _ate_ your charm.”

“Sorry, what?” Atalanta chimed in.

“I was very upset then”, Hornet continued.

“...So this is not the same charm then”, the butterfly concluded, pointing at the one in Scarlet's hand.

“No, this one must be new”, the queen said. “It looks like the Nightmare King.”

The other two thought about this for a moment, remembering what they'd been told previously about past events.

“So...” Scarlet finally spoke, holding the charm in front of her own face. “This is... what's left of my past self? Is that it?”

“Sounds very likely.”

“I don't need to hold onto it. I'm a different person now.”

As she said this, Scarlet got up and handed the charm to Atalanta.

“Are- Are you sure?” the latter asked.

“If you don't want it I can just give it to-”

The butterfly took it.

“I'm curious as to what it does”, Hornet said. “Every charm has its own unique effect. But... we probably shouldn't test this one indoors.”

They all walked to the nearest public bench outside. Atalanta had to sit down before equipping the charm because dealing with these things is more delicate than one might expect.

“I don't feel any different this time”, Atalanta stated.

“Maybe it doesn't take effect immediately?” Scarlet wondered.

“The charm itself feels warm”, the butterfly commented as she got up from the bench and took a few steps forwards. “But I don't know if-”

The other two quickly got out of her way, leaving her a lot of space, as when she started walking a trail of flames followed her. It disappeared as soon as she stopped moving.

“Good thing we didn't test this indoors”, Scarlet said.

“Why do you think I made us go outside?” Hornet added.

Not daring to take another step with that fire hasard equipped, Atalanta sat on the ground right where she was to remove it from her shell while muttering :

“This would add a whole new level to my dance routine, that's for sure.”

“I would love to see it”, the princess smiled while offering her hand to the other bug to help her up.

Atalanta accepted the help, and, once back on her feet, promised that whatever she would come up with, Scarlet would be the first to see it.

The latter smiled wider.

“It would be an honour.”


	2. I May Not Know Who I Am

While her child was taking a nap on their pillow pile, Scarlet was searching through the books and old journals in her room for the next one to read. Her past self must have acquired those over her whole childhood, one or two at a time. Having all of them at once, all waiting to be read for the second first time, was almost intimidating.

She picked one at random to examine and saw that it was in a language she couldn't understand. _How odd_ , she thought. _Why keep in your room a book you can't read?_

She put it back on the shelf and kept looking. She soon realised that a small but quite noticeable chunk of her collection was completely unreadable to her. Was past Scarlet trying to learn other languages? Or did she know them? But then how come-

Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. Her aunt's voice said from the other side :

“Our old friend Taon is here. You promised them to let them meet your child.”

Scarlet told her to wait a moment and went to kneel down in front of Kay and slowly, delicately scooped them up in her hands without waking them up.

Soon, she entered the living room with her child sleeping in her arms. The old fly walked up to her. This was their second visit since her new life began, and the first one since Kay hatched a couple days ago.

“They're so tiny”, Taon whispered as though they were afraid to wake the little one up.

The baby started waking up anyway, slowly opening their eyes.

“Hi there, kiddo”, the fly greeted them. “Nice to meet ya.”

Kay yawned, cuddled up to their mother and gave out a loud “nyaaaaa!”

“You hungry?” Scarlet guessed.

Taon got out of her way so she could get to the pantry and give her child some food.

“Aren't you absolutely adorable?” the mother cooed, still holding Kay as they fed.

The other adults nodded.

“By the way”, Scarlet continued, “where did Atalanta go?”

“She said something about visiting the City of Tears”, Hornet replied. “And I should head there too for my next appointment.”

She excused herself and left the others alone. They sat at the table.

Kay just kept eating and cuddling up to their mother's thorax.

“So...” Taon said. “Be honest : how are you feelin'?”

“I'm fine. The baby is healthy and-”

“I'm glad, but that's not what I meant. I meant... losing all your memories gotta be affecting you, right?”

Scarlet gently scratched Kay's head, getting a purring sound out of them. She tried to think of the best way to describe her situation. After a moment of reflection, she settled on :

“I don't know who I am.”

“Could you elaborate a bit?”

“It's... like I was born when I woke up in that chair with Hornet shaking me awake and Atalanta asking if I was alright. I've been constantly hearing about past Scarlet, past Grimm- it all feels like hearing about someone else. I do not know who present Scarlet is. From what I've heard and that charm appearing in my bag- Do you know where charms come from?”

“No, I just heard stories about Hallownest charms bein' a thing”, the old fly said.

“I've done a bit of research. Some people with specific set of skills could fabricate those, but most appear where a bug, or spider, or other creature... died. Shortly after I first woke up, I found a charm that looked like me. And we're pretty sure it didn't exist before... the incident. So it wasn't deliberately fabricated.”

“But obviously you didn't die either”, Taon pointed out.

“Exactly. Knowing how charms appear, and what Hornet told me about what happened... I think a part of me actually died that day. But... does that mean I'm incomplete now?”

“You look like a complete person to me.”

“How would you know what an incomplete person looks like?”

“Good point I guess”, Taon admitted. “But like... if you lose a limb, it doesn't make you less of a person, ya know? So why would losing your memories do that?”

“It's not just my memories though...”

“You just became a different person. And I may not know Present Scarlet as well as I did Past Scarlet, but lemme tell you this : you are not lesser. Don't you dare let yourself believe that you are.”

While the adults were talking, Kay climbed to their mother's head to rest between her horns.

“...I'll keep that in mind”, she said, staying perfectly still not to disturb her child.

The old fly stood up and stared right into her black eyes.

“Listen. You gotta promise me. Swear to me you're not gonna fall into that self-depreciating trap.”

“I swear. I am... not lesser. Not incomplete. Just different.”

“Good.”

They sat back down and gave out a huge sigh of relief.

“Are _you_ alright?” she asked them.

“I'm better now”, they stated. “Anyway, what are ya gonna do?”

“Besides raising this little one? Help that one ant nest in any way I can. I will go there tomorrow, actually. I may not know who I am, but I do have purpose, so there's that.”

“So you're gonna be ok?” Taon asked. “And the kid too?”

“We will be”, Scarlet promised. “I'll make sure of it.”

“That's the spirit.”

A few days passed. Hornet found a letter under her door when she came home from a long day of work. She picked it up, closed the door behind her, looked at the tiny handwriting on the envelope, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Atalanta pushed the door open and nearly walked right into her.

“Sorry, I- Is something wrong?” the butterfly asked.

Hornet simply showed her the writing on the envelope. It took her a moment to decipher it.

“This is Taon's writing”, her host explained.

“Oh, that old fly, right? Friend of your little family, correct?”

Hornet nodded. The next second, Scarlet teleported into the room with Kay perched atop her head.

“I did it!” she exclaimed proudly, likely referring to the fact that this was the first time she had managed to teleport since her new life began.

Her enthusiasm was stopped abruptly when she saw the other two's faces.

“...Something happened” she guessed.

Her aunt gave her the letter and told her who it was from.

“'When'...” Scarlet began to read aloud. “'When I die... send to Queen Hornet and Princess Scarlet'? Wait, does that mean...?”

She opened the letter. It was Taon's will. She laid it on the table for her and Hornet to examine while Kay woke up and floated around them. The tiny handwriting did not help, but after a while it became clear that, having no living relative in Dirtmouth, the former merchant had decided to leave their house and everything in it to their dear friends : the royal family.

“...I guess I could move there”, Scarlet said. “But are we sure this wasn't accidentally sent too early? They were just fine last time I saw them...”

“Sadly, this wouldn't be the first bug we've outlived”, her aunt pointed out. “However, we indeed should make sure. Could you teleport us?”

“I don't remember where their house is.”

“Of course. Sorry. Follow me then.”

Aunt, niece and baby headed towards the door. Atalanta, after a second of hesitation, decided to tag along.

It quickly transpired that good old Taon had indeed died peacefully in their sleep. Their funeral was held later that very night in the tradition of their original homeland.

The next morning, Scarlet and Atalanta shared breakfast at the table (Kay was sleeping in their mother's bag and Hornet had already left the house).

“So...” the butterfly said once she was done with her food. “Are you going to move out like you said?”

“I think I will... eventually”, the other replied. “Taking Taon's house too soon after their death would feel wrong. But when I do, you can have my old room.”

“For real? Thank you.”

“You might want a bed though.”

“Can't I just take yours?”

“...I do not have one”, Scarlet explained. “Didn't you notice that when you went in there?”

“What? How would I- It was the middle of the fricking night and I was focused on Kay hatching, why would I have paid attention to what furniture you don't have? And... where do you sleep?”

“Either the ceiling or the big armchair. But I'm sure Auntie Hornet wouldn't mind making you a hammock.”

“...I think I better move to my own apartment too as soon as I can afford it”, Atalanta said. “They're recruiting dancers in the City of Tears, I might find a job there...”

The baby woke up and immediately started making noises and wriggling out of the bag to land on the table right next to what was left of the food. Their mother got up to get them some more.

“I'm sure they will hire you”, she told the other bug while sitting back down. “Your skills are amazing.”

“Why, thank you.”

Kay started making noises again.

“What's this, my child?” Scarlet asked them. “You want water? I'll get you some.”

She got up again, found the smallest cup in the kitchen, filled it with water and set it down next to her child who started drinking from it right away. Both adults watched them fondly.

Scarlet was glad that Taon got to meet her child before the end just like they wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some time I've been asking myself whether Scarlet would keep all her powers & abilities after cutting ties with the Nightmare Heart.  
> The answer I've settled on is basically : "she keeps some and loses others".


	3. Party In The Nightmare Realm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's flashback time!  
> This one's partially inspired by a bit of dialogue originally intended for another fic, but was lost when I re-wrote it completely before publishing. Now it's in a different point in the timeline.

For a lot that presented as showbugs to the outside world, the Troupe mostly kept to themselves. Therefore, new recruits tended to be few and far between. This lead to every welcoming ceremony that did occur to be followed by celebrations that went on very late.

Telling time in the Nightmare Realm was tricky at best, so to them “very late” meant “when everyone is too tired to keep their eyes open”.

Brumm took a break from providing the music so that Zephyr could take over for a moment.

Kaydence, whom this welcoming party was for, was talking with Divine. Grimm was watching over them while drinking a piece of cherry a Grimmkin had just handed to her.

Of course the new Troupe member hadn't been taught how to alter her appearance yet, so she somewhat stood out from the rest of them even with her mask. Though, Brumm reckoned it wouldn't take much change for her to fit right in.

“Are you alright, old friend?” the Master asked him, her raspy voice barely audible to him above the music.

“I'm alright”, he replied, a little surprised by the sudden question. “Why?”

“Just want to make sure.”

A couple Grimmkins provided chairs for the two of them to sit on.

“Something on your mind?” Brumm asked.

“Well... Divine must have told you about Kaydence and I...”

“I am aware of your relationship, yes. Is that why you brought her along?”

“No. It was entirely her idea. She had to insist several times.”

Several Grimmkins started dancing together in a circle while the others encouraged them.

“I was worried about how you would take the news”, Grimm admitted.

Brumm took a moment to find his words.

“Mrmm... I've had time to accept you're not your father. Now I have to accept you're an adult who can choose who she wants.”

The Troupe Master thanked her old musician. She was about to add something else, but was interrupted by Kaydence herself walking up to her and inviting her to a dance. She simply couldn't refuse.

The circle of dancing Grimmkins parted to let them through as they went right in the center of the stage area hand in hand.

Divine approached Brumm as he was watching it all unfold.

“Are you going to get jealous?” she asked him.

“...Please don't”, he pleaded. “This Grimm is like a daughter to me.”

“They're all the same”, the half-masked bug sighed. “Master Grimm is always Master Grimm.”

“They're not”, the musician insisted. “Each of the Heart's vessels is different.”

The Grimmkins were now taking turns riding the Grimmsteeds around inside the tent and trying to race each other without running into anyone or anything.

Brumm got up and improvised a duet with Zephyr.

One steed very nearly ran into the dancing couple ; Grimm teleported herself and her partner slightly to the left to avoid impact. The musicians only interrupted their playing for about a tenth of a second before resuming with the knowledge that no-one was hurt.

The Grimmsteeds looked at each other, nodded, and took the race outside. Everyone else followed them (the musicians even stopped playing) so they could keep enjoying the show.

Well not everyone, Brumm noticed : Grimm and Kaydence didn't come with them. He peered inside : the entrance and stage were empty. He knew exactly what that meant. They grow up so fast, don't they?

He turned his gaze back outside and did his best to focus on the race as the Grimmsteeds and their riders came back from their lap around the tent. They crossed the finish line (which one Grimmkin had just traced on the ground) at the same time, so they agreed on another lap to break the tie. Zephyr and his mother started placing bets on who was going to win.

Sure enough, when the racers came back around, the one Divine had bet on had a slight lead, and bent their neck forward as they approached to cross the finish line quicker.

Everyone present cheered.

“Where did Master and Kaydence go?” Zephyr asked suddenly, like he only noticed their absence now.

“Oh, let them have their moment”, Divine told him.

“Alone time is precious”, Brumm chimed in.

The two older bugs could practically see the gears turning in the younger one's head for a second before he actually understood and nodded.

“Anyway”, he said, looking to Brumm, “how about another duet?”

Divine suggested a song ; once the musicians had started playing it, she sang over their melody.

Grimm and Kaydence didn't reappear for the rest of the party.


	4. Familiar Strangers

Nymm wondered what the odds of finding himself in an unknown land with no memory of how he got there _and_ meeting two other bugs in the exact same situation were. Probably very slim.

Sticking together just felt natural and soon enough the little group had picked a spot behind a rock and were trying to figure out how to make a shelter out of materials found in the forest around them.

One thing Nymm did remember clearly was that he was a musician, not a builder. Zed seemed to be in the same boat and had, if that was possible, even less idea of what he was doing. Zed's mother sighed and repeated her instructions slower while cutting small sticks and moss with her forelimbs.

It took a long time but eventually, with great effort and patience from everyone and using the rock as one of the walls, they managed to build a shelter just big enough to fit the three of them inside.

Déa added the moss she had collected onto the roof. It's good camouflage, yes!

Nymm volunteered to go look for food while mother and son settled in.

Déa did not remember ever having children, yet she had the unshakable certitude that Zed was her son. And he did look a lot like her. And he hadn't questioned it either. Did she have other children before losing her memories? Where were they? Did they remember her? And how did she lose her memories anyway? Was it the same way as Zed and Nymm?

Meeting the latter had felt like meeting an old friend for the first time. Maybe they all knew each other before.

Zed sat on his mother's lower half and examined his accordion like it was a foreign object he was discovering for the first time.

“When Nymm comes back I'll ask him to teach me”, he decided.

It was getting late and the musician had been gone for a while. Déa wondered whether he was doing alright.

She rested her eyes for a minute...

And woke up hours later in near total darkness with Nymm stumbling into the shelter while holding a bag full of food.

“I found some of it”, he explained as he started sharing it all, “but most I worked for. The locals really like music.”

“Can you teach me?” Zed immediately asked.

Nymm hesitated.

“I don't know if I would be a good teacher.”

“I'm sure you'll do great!”

“I believe in both of you!” Déa chimed in.

The musician accepted to start the lessons tomorrow. For now they all needed food and rest.

Zed followed Nymm's instructions intently. He needed to make his teacher and mother proud. And to not think about how he didn't remember much from his own life at all. He had siblings, didn't he? Were they in the same situation as-

He hit a wrong note and immediately apologised and started over.

All the gestures he had to do with the instrument felt familiar and natural to him ; he had probably played before. Would explain why he had it in the first place.

“I'll sing with you”, Déa decided. “That way we'll get even more donations!”

“Good”, Nymm said. “I mostly improvise though. Is that ok?”

“I can manage! We'll all do great, yes. Don't you worry.”

Zed stopped playing for a second to announce :

“I don't think I'm ready yet...”

“Then watch and learn!” his mother told him. “You can always join the performances later. No rush.”

The lesson went on for a little while until they all collectively decided to move to the more populated area to start working.

They settled near the entrance of an ant nest to play for the workers and guards. Weirdly, some of those seemed to be from a different nest, or weren't even ants at all. One creature standing guard (they could barely stand in that tunnel in fact, and the tips of their horns scratched the dirt above and made it fall on them everytime they moved) in the mouth of the tunnel was a... Zed wasn't really sure. But they felt strangely familiar somehow...

His teacher and his mother finished their improvised tune and the other clapped, leading them to reply with a little bow.

“You look and smell... very familiar!” Déa commented. “Have we met before?”

“Sounds very likely”, the familiar stranger replied in a raspy voice. “I've had... memory problems.”

“You too, huh?” Zed chimed in, walking up to his mother's side to have a better view of the other.

“Must be something strange in the air here”, Nymm said.

“The only strange thing I smell is-” Zed started before stopping himself mid-sentence, “sorry, what's your name?”

“Scarlet.”

Déa introduced herself and the other members of the newly created band.

“If you fancy playing for bigger audiences, you might want to visit the kingdom of Dirtmouth”, Scarlet said. “That's where I live. There is a Gate leading to it nearby.”

“The name rings a bell but... why?” Nymm thought aloud. “What do you two think? Should we go there?”

“I bet it would be fun! So fun” Déa replied.

“We can survive here”, Zed pointed out, “but with bigger crowds and bigger donations...”

“We could _live_! Not just survive!”, his mother finished.

Scarlet tried to nod and only managed to get dirt all over. Déa covered her mouth with her claw to try and suppress a giggle.

“How will we let you know when we arrive in Dirtmouth?” Nymm asked the tall creature.

“Hum... start by asking where the queen lives. She's my aunt. If neither of us is there then leave a note under the door. I'd love to see you perform again.”

“Wait so you're royalty?” Zed asked. “What's a royal doing standing guard in another kingdom?”

“Well... I guess you could say I'm trying to make amend for past me's actions. But I'd rather discuss this some other time. Why don't you play another lovely tune for these workers?”

Nymm started playing again, Déa joined in and Zed started collecting the donations from the nearby bugs so the band could live another day.

Déa's son wasn't confident in his accordion playing yet, but he was determined to make the others succeed in whatever way he could.


	5. You Are Loved

“Auntie, have you seen Kay?” Scarlet asked, panicking and lifting every single object in the living room just in case her child might be hiding under them.

“I take it your farsight no longer works?” Hornet replied.

“My what?”

Atalanta checked the curtains again.

“You've checked the pantry, right?” she guessed.

“First place I looked”, the mother confirmed. “I was certain they would try to get in, but unless they... moved again... Wait.”

Scarlet opened the pantry again and sure enough, her child had hidden in there after she had checked it and was enjoying the food. They looked very pleased with themself.

Their mother took them in her hands and hugged them to her chest like it would actually prevent them from disappearing again.

“Why don't you just stay with mama, you hungry teleporting baby you”, she said, trying and utterly failing to sound stern.

They cuddled up to her and fell asleep. She gently scratched their horn with one finger.

Atalanta walked up to mother and child hovered her hand above the latter.

“May I?” she asked.

“Sure”, Scarlet replied, “just be gentle.”

The butterfly gave the baby a gentle pat on the head. They turned in their sleep as if trying to face her.

“Awe, look at them”, she cooed while trying to keep her voice down. “They're too adorable to be mad at.”

Scarlet turned to her aunt and asked :

“Did I eat so much at that stage?”

“You were a bit older when I took you in”, Hornet explained. “So I do not know.”

“Oh. I see...”

Atalanta said goodbye and headed out to her job in the City of Tears. Then Scarlet sat down at the table, still holding her child in one arm.

“I actually wanted to ask you how long I spent at that stage”, she told her aunt, “but...”

Hornet sat next to her niece.

“You seem worried.”

“It's been a while and... I can't help this feeling that I'm missing something important...”

Kay turned in their sleep again, blissfully unaware of their mother's worries.

“Hum... I remember seeing you with my sibling a few times before they died and I think your form changed at some point while they were taking care of you...”

“Do you remember anything else?”

“Well... I guess they were doing the Troupe's Ritual at the time and- Wait. I have an idea.”

Hornet rummaged under her cloak, took something and placed it on the table. It was the handle of the Needle of Unity.

“One of your Troupe members told me the Ritual was all about making the child grow”, she explained. “And that had something to do with feeding it nightmare essence...”

“And this contains some”, Scarlet finished.

“It also contains dream essence. The two might be close enough that Kay could consume both, but would they like it?”

“They'd try to eat anything. The real question is whether they should.”

“Indeed. But it might be the only way we have left to give your child what they need to grow.”

Scarlet's eyes went from her child to the artefact and back several times.

“We can try that after they wake up”, she finally decided. “Meanwhile... I guess I should start packing.”

“Packing?” Hornet repeated. “So you're moving to Taon's old home now?”

“Within the next couple days, I think. May I take this with me?”

Scarlet pointed at the artefact.

“You will need it to feed Kay”, her aunt said. “So yes, you can have it. But you would better not use it for anything else.”

“Fair enough. And... thank you.”

Hornet stood up and put a hand on her niece's shoulder.

“I haven't been as present for the two of you as I probably should”, she said, “and I apologise for this. If you need anything, even just a chat, do not be afraid to ask. I've had a lot of work to do lately, but I need to make time for my family too.”

“Again, thank you.”

With her free hand, Scarlet took the handle and stored it under her wing.

“Let me help you pack your bags, at least. I can also _make_ you bags, if you need.”

Scarlet smiled and agreed this was a good idea.

Atalanta, Hornet and Scarlet carried heavy silk bags to the latter's new home while her child floated around them. Well, mostly around the butterfly, as she was the one carrying food.

To everyone else's delight, Kay had finally grown up a little bit. Their grey body was longer and their one horn had separated into two, making them look even more like their mother.

Once the little group arrived, Atalanta put the food in the kitchen ; the others left Scarlet's stuff (mostly books and old toys that were passed on to Kay) in the bedroom for her to sort out later.

When they rejoined in the living room, the butterfly was holding a very cuddly Kay in her arms.

“You gave them a treat didn't you”, Scarlet guessed, smiling.

“Can't say no to a face like that.”

“We have the exact same face and you can say no to me.”

“Kay has the advantage of being a small youngling”, Hornet pointed out.

“Was Scarlet this adorable as a child?” Atalanta asked.

“When she wasn't setting things on fire”, the queen replied.

You could practically hear the smile in her voice.

“I feel so loved right now...” her niece said, dripping with sarcasm.

Hornet looked up at Scarlet, straight in her black eyes, and spoke again, absolutely dead serious :

“You are.”

“Auntie, I just... I don't know what to say”, Scarlet admitted. “Thank you.”

As if to confirm their great-aunt's words, the child flew right onto their mother's head to rest between her horns, purring the whole time.

She sat on the armchair ; Hornet and Atalanta decided to share the couch in front of it. The three chatted with each other and shared sugar water for a while until the queen had to leave.

“Why don't you come sit with me?” the butterfly asked a few minutes after the queen had left.

Scarlet got up from the armchair to sit next to her.

Kay had long since fallen asleep in their mother's open bag, which had been placed on the low table where everyone could see them.

The adults sat in silence for a moment, setting down their empty glasses and watching the baby sleep peacefully.

“So...” Scarlet finally said. “How is this job in the City of Tears treating you?”

“The job is nice, but the city... I mean, the city itself is fine, it's just the constant rain... I mostly stay indoors. I've been told I should take an apartment there but I just- I can't.”

“Because of the rain?”

“And also because... I don't want to be alone. I don't know how to be alone.”

“What do you mean”? Scarlet asked.

“It might not look like it now but, hum, I'm from a big family”, Atalanta explained. “My whole caterpillar life was with a lot of siblings all around. Then everyone but two of us left. Before my brother died, I had never lived alone. And you were there a lot after that, even if this period is... still very fuzzy in my memories.”

The other nodded, inviting her to continue, which she did :

“So long story short... the rain makes me sad and I don't want to face this alone.”

She moved just slightly closer to Scarlet. The latter did not move. She resisted the urge to wrap Atalanta in her wings and keep her there right against her until morning.

The butterfly asked whether she could stay the night.

“Of course!”, her host replied, perhaps a bit more enthusiastically than she felt she should have. “I mean... This house has a bed I'm not going to use, so feel free. I can just sleep right here.”

“There's more than one way to use to use a bed.”

As she said this, Atalanta moved even closer, touching Scarlet, and wrapped her arm around her. The taller one blinked. Was this what she thought it was?

“Well, hum, I- We left my bags on it s-so, if you'll excuse me, I'll... go move them. So you can sleep. Watch Kay for me.”

The butterfly had to let go of her host as the latter got up from the couch. She only disappeared into the bedroom for a short moment and quickly came back. She approached the couch then stopped, unsure of whether she should sit back down.

“Scarlet? Are you alright?”

“I'm fine.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Atalanta asked.

“No, I did. I did something wrong, so you didn't want to be with me. I had to accept that and respect your wishes. I... did not expect you to...”

“Do you still love me?”

Scarlet sat on a corner of the low table so that her face was closer to her guest's eye level.

“I... thought it didn't matter how I felt”, she admitted, “so... you could say I've been avoiding thinking about it.”

“Why wouldn't it matter?”

“Because... Because the result would be the same either way. Because you'd never want to be with me now so why bother?”

Atalanta stood up, hooked one finger under Scarlet's chin and made her look up at her.

“You're not the same person you were. I've been learning to know New Scarlet and... I- I think I'm falling all over again?”

As she spoke, she put her other hand on the side of Scarlet's face and held it tenderly. Scarlet, meanwhile, looked at Atalanta adoringly.

“I love you.”

In response, the butterfly pressed her forehead against the other's. Scarlet reached for the back of Atalanta's neck and started kissing her face.

It felt as obvious and natural as the moon in the night sky and the rising sun in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I diagnose this butterfly with Scarlet fever
> 
> (When you feed a Grimmchild nightmare essence they gain the power to spit fire. What would happen if you fed one dream essence? Or both? I have no idea but I'm sure it would look different. And the characters aren't gonna figure it out right away either 'cause there are no enemies to test the baby's powers on in Dirtmouth.)


	6. Shocking Discovery

Atalanta had just recently moved in with Scarlet and her child. Well, it was _their_ child now, the butterfly figured. And their child was distracting her from her morning exercises by floating around her, making noises, and being adorable.

Scarlet, still hanging from the ceiling next to the bed, opened her eyes and stretched her wings. Before she had time to get down, Atalanta told her to stay up there for now.

“I'll take care of them, don't worry”, she said.

She gestured to Kay and, instead of following her as intended, they teleported to the bedroom door. Then when she reached the door, they teleported next to the food storage where Atalanta joined them and gave them some strawberry to feed on.

When Scarlet arrived a while later, Kay was trying to balance themself on the butterfly's head. Atalanta, meanwhile, was doing her best to stay still and not burst out laughing.

Her hands were raised on either side, ready to catch the child in they fell. They wouldn't take damage if they did, but still.

“I was about to go fetch their toys”, Atalanta explained once the child found a stable position on her head, “but they'd rather just do this.”

The butterfly was glad she didn't have anywhere else to be today, or she would probably be late.

“It means they trust you!” Scarlet smiled. “You don't have horns to grab onto though...”

There was a knock on the front door. It was the specific knock that Hornet and her niece had agreed upon, so the latter went to answer it. They exchanged good mornings and joined the others at the table. They shared some words and food ; a while later, as agreed upon the previous day, Hornet took Kay (and a few of their toys) with her as she left.

“It feels weird not having Kay around all of a sudden”, Scarlet said.

Her partner agreed.

“I propose we make the most of it”, she added. “I mean- It's my day off, you're not going anywhere either, and we have the house to ourselves! There's... so much we could do together.”

“Any idea in particular, dearie?”

“Of course! I mean- we have all day so there's no rush, but you know. There are some things I've been thinking about for a while...”

Hornet walked purposefully through the conference hall and took her seat. It was like any other seat in her kingdom ; the only modification that marked it as hers was a special dent in the armrest to put her needle against. It was the closest thing to a throne that she had or would ever care about owning.

She did not need overly fancy furniture to do her job. She would even argue that not letting herself get distracted by unnecessary decorum actually gave her more time to make sure the kingdom ran as smoothly as possible.

Kay perched themself atop her head as she sat. One old mosquito cleaning up the place stared at the child for a few seconds before turning away and leaving the room without a word.

A spider from Deepnest who had recently started working as advisor for the queen arrived with a pile of silk records to go over later.

“This little one looks like...” she started, handing over the documents. “Is that your niece's child?”

Hornet nodded carefully. She could feel Kay tense up as the spider approached.

“I wanted to spend time with them without having to neglect my other duties. I would bring their mother to work too.”

As she was saying that, a representative of the miners of Crystal Peak showed up to discuss plans for the future of the mine.

It wasn't running out any time soon, especially when Crystal Hunters kept growing more crystals. The question was how to convert the mine into a Crystal Hunters farm while keeping everyone employed and safe from shards thrown at them.

The representative did their best to ignore Kay looking at them from the queen's head.

Hornet, while still talking to the miner, reached into one of the many hidden pockets in her cloak and gave the child a treat and a pat on the head. Kay seemed to relax a little, but not completely.

They only moved to their great-aunt's lap once the miner was gone. Hornet gave them a ball that they tried to chew on, but it was slightly too big for their mouth so they settled on pushing it around with their ribbon-like proto-wings. Their great-aunt caught the ball before it fell down then gave it back to them with a reminder to be careful.

She expected them to make the ball fall again to amuse themself, but they did not. To her surprise, they actually were careful.

“Isn't it adorable”, the spider advisor cooed, reaching for the child with one hand.

They backed away and against Hornet's shell, hissing.

“They're not used to contact with strangers”, the queen explained. “They can be very affectionate with their family but with everyone else... not so much.”

“Oh, they'll get there!”

The advisor tried to reach for Kay again ; they teleported above her, opened their mouth, and fired a small electric arc at her. It didn't do much damage but the pain was enough to dissuade the spider from trying again.

“That's... unexpected”, Hornet said. “I mean, I apologise.”

She got up from her seat, forgetting about the ball that fell and rolled away as she moved. Kay flew after it.

“They don't trust you enough just yet”, the queen continued. “We shall work towards this so this kind of incident doesn't happen again. And they will have to learn to use their powers more responsibly.”

Later that day, Atalanta and Scarlet were cuddling in bed and resting from their previous activities.

“I love you”, the butterfly said softly, nuzzling against her lover.

“I know”, Scarlet replied, wrapping her wing around the both of them.

She was half dozing off already when she heard the distant sound of Hornet knocking on the front door.

The two lovers untangled themselves and got up. When they answered the door, Kay joyfully flew to them, making all sorts of happy sounds and flapping their proto-wings.

“There is something you need to see”, Hornet announced. “Kay, show them.”

The child launched the smallest lightning the couple had ever seen from their mouth to the ceiling, leaving a tiny scorch mark.

“Wait, I thought you would breathe fire?!” Atalanta told them. “How did you...?”

“I... I've been feeding them what the Needle had collected”, Scarlet said. “It included both nightmare and dream... I guess mixing the two had unexpected effects on them.”

“Seems like it”, Hornet added. “They're going to be very different from their predecessors in more ways than one.”

Kay landed on Scarlet's head and positioned themself for a nap.

Hornet talked to her and Atalanta about what had happened and how to teach the child not to lash out at others. Setting clear boundaries was all good, but they could not take the risk of having Kay shocking people who had no ill intent.

The adults were confident that, with the three of them working together, there was no challenge they couldn't overcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the game Grimmchild starts out with no offensive ability and only starts spitting fire after consuming three scarlet flames and the more of these they get, the more damage they can do. I assume that if a Grimmchild were to eat dream essence instead, or both dream&nightmares like here, it would grant them different powers. What would happen if they were given only dream essence and no scarlet flame at all? Probably they'd shoot rays of light like the Radiance.  
> And don't worry about that spider, Kay is still only stage 2 so their damage is pretty low and she has a lot of HP.


	7. A Sudden Reverse Metamorphosis

Atalanta was woken up in the early morning by something falling from the ceiling and onto the bed right next to her feet. When she opened her eyes and sat up, she saw that it was her partner.

“Scarlet?” she called. “What are you...”

Usually she would be happy about her beloved being on the bed with her instead of insisting on hanging upside-down from above, but the way it happened this time was unusual, to say the least, and the lack of response as she called again was worrying her a little.

“Are- are you still sleeping?” the butterfly asked.

An almost imperceptible voice responded. Scarlet's voice was raspy to begin with, but now it had gotten to a point that it was extremely difficult to understand. Atalanta hoped it was just the sleepiness.

Scarlet then started a very loud, very violent coughing fit that woke up little Kay who was now floating around her. Their stepmother couldn't make out their expression in the low lighting, yet she could guess they were worried too.

The fit stopped. Atalanta glanced at the child then focused on her partner again and-

Instead of the tall, ambiguously bug-like creature she expected to see, she found lying there a small lump of darkness she could barely see at all in the low light.

The queen of Dirtmouth was sitting in the conference hall and discussing important things with her advisors when Atalanta burst through the door and rushed to where the “throne” was, ignoring everyone else. Kay was floating right behind her, making worried sounds. In her arms, she was holding a shadow version of the child.

 _Oh_ , Hornet realised. _Something happened to Scarlet..._

She stood up, gestured to her advisors to wait a moment, and asked the butterfly what happened.

“I- I'm not sure!” the latter replied, a slight panic in her voice that seemed to calm down _just_ a tiny bit in contact with the queen's stoic stance. “Scarlet just- She fell and- and coughed a lot and then she turned into this and I can't get her to talk or anything and I don't know- It's like a sudden reverse metamorphosis? What- Do you know what's going on?!”

“I've seen that form before”, Hornet explained calmly. “She should be back to her usual self soon...”

Atalanta let out a huge sigh of relief. Kay perched themself atop her head and looked at their great-aunt expectantly, maybe waiting for her to elaborate.

“My queen, if you don't mind me asking”, one advisor chimed in, “when did your niece turn into...this... before?”

“Well, back when she was about as tall as this”, the queen said, indicating a space above her horns with the point of her needle, “she once sneaked out to go to the Colosseum...”

Hornet got home to find the house empty.

Sometimes her niece, when not accompanying her, might take a walk, go see other people, or just stay right here with her slowly growing book collection and toys. She was a very self-sufficient child who now knew _not_ to set the curtains on fire, and could take care of herself.

However, whenever she set off on her own she would usually be back by the time her aunt came home. The latter wondered why this was not the case today.

Scarlet tended to be very punctual. Being able to teleport helped a lot in that department. Maybe she got distracted by something?

Scarlet's aunt waited a little longer, cleaning her tools and weapon to pass the time. Still her niece was nowhere to be seen.

Hornet got up and went outside to go knock on Taon's door and asked whether Scarlet was with them. She was not.

Hornet took the elevator down and walked to the statue of the Ghost Knight. Her niece wasn't there either.

Hornet took the stagway to the City of Tears. Turned out Scarlet hadn't been bothering Lemm at all that day.

Hornet took a seat next to a stag station. She was out of ideas.

She briefly went back home up on the surface just in case, and found it just as empty as before. Now she really was starting to worry. What kind of situation could someone with Scarlet's abilities not escape from? Did her only living family leave her for good and without notice?

She kept asking around. Someone must have seen her niece, right?

From Greenpath to the Resting Grounds, there was no sign of Scarlet. The spider went back to the City of Tears and accessed Kingdom's Edge from there.

After all this time, the ashes were _still_ falling. So were the fools who weren't strong enough to survive the Colosseum, which was still running exactly the same way, unaffected by the changes in the rest of the world.

Hornet sidestepped just in time to avoid getting crushed by the corpse of a particularly large armoured fool. They had scorch marks all over their armour, like they'd been through fire.

She wondered...

Hornet pressed on and soon reached the infamous Colosseum of Fools. As she approached its entrance, she found none other than Scarlet stumbling her way out, momentarily freezing when she noticed her aunt, tripping on a rock and...

Before the child even reached the ground, she turned into a smaller, shadowy version of herself. The silhouette was very similar to how she looked the first time Hornet had seen her under Ghost's care.

“What is the meaning of this?” Hornet asked, crouching down to examine her niece's new form.

No response but glowing scarlet eyes looking up at her.

The child turned back to her usual self and her aunt had to help her up.

“Are you alright?” Hornet asked her. “What happened? Why are you here?”

“I'm fine, auntie. I... I think my parent brought me here at some point? The memory is very faint. I thought I could test out my abilities here. And I won!”

“I was fearing the worst!”

“...I apologise. I...”

“And what was this transformation about? Should I be worried about it as well?”

“Oh, this... You know how sometimes after taking some hits you need to take a brief moment to collect yourself again? It's like this. This smaller form takes less energy to... exist. Makes recovering quicker. I am sorry I worried you.”

“Do not do that again.”

“I won't, auntie. I have already proven myself, I do not need to go through this again.”

“You put yourself in danger and made me look all over the kingdom for you to... prove your abilities?”

Scarlet stared at the ground.

“But she wasn't fighting”, Atalanta pointed out, “she was sleeping...”

“It happens when she feels weak”, Hornet explained. “Maybe... she is sick right now?”

“...That makes sense. Is there anything I can do?”

“Make sure she gets plenty of rest”, the queen said. “She really needs it, it seems.”

“That's- that's all?”

“I am afraid there is not much else we can do for now...”

Atalanta and Kay both nodded. The former kept hugging her sick partner close to her as she apologised for interrupting queenly business and then left the conference hall.

It was only once in the safety of the bedroom that Scarlet got back to her usual form. While her partner was still holding her.

“I am so sorry for worrying you!” she rushed to say. “I wasn't sure what was happening either and-”

Atalanta gently laid her down onto the bed.

“Are you feeling better now?” she asked.

“A little. Still somewhat... weak.”

Scarlet coughed a little bit after saying that.

“If you're going to fall”, the butterfly said, “it would be better if you actually stayed in bed instead of sleeping from the ceiling. It would make me feel more at ease, at any rate.”

“But-”

“No buts. Just lie down and let me take care of you.”

“I am... really not in the mood right now, dearie.”

“Not what I meant. Wait here and do not move.”

Atalanta left the room and returned a while later with what appeared to be a cup of tea. She explained she had gotten as close as she could to her mother's recipe with what they currently had.

“She would make it whenever one of us didn't feel so good”, she explained, handing the cup to her partner.

The latter said thanks, sat up to grab the cup and took a sip with her proboscis. It was very sugary. Scarlet suspected the drink had as much honey in it as it had hot water. She probably wasn't that far off the mark.

“Did it ever cure anyone?” she asked.

“It gives you more energy, at any rate. Sometimes that's what you need to fight off whatever's ailing you.”

Scarlet drank the rest of it.

“Thanks again.” She smiled with her other mouth. “I am so lucky and grateful you are here.”

“Likewise.”

Atalanta sat on the bed and took her partner's free hand in her own, intertwining their fingers and holding on tight. Kay settled on a pillow, wrapped themself up in their proto-wings, and closed their eyes.

“Oh, but you must be very late for work!” Scarlet realised. “I am sorry.”

“I'll just say it was a medical emergency and apologise. It should be fine. Besides, even if it wasn't, I suspect my connection to the royal family would be helpful in finding a new job.”

“Does your current employer know?”

“No. I mean- I never discussed my personal life with anyone in there at all, but words spread fast so... they might have found out some other way and not tell me.”

The butterfly shrugged. Her partner set the empty teacup on the bedside table.

“Which reminds me you never really told me much about what your job was like”, Scarlet pointed out. “You tend to change the subject when I mention it.”

Atalanta hesitated.

“Well, I- I like to keep my private and professional lives separate.”

“My love... You do know this only makes me even more curious, right?”

The butterfly sighed.

“There's this group working to restore the ancient Pleasure House”, she explained, “and... well, they've been enlisting different performers and artists for a lot of different things. Myself, I dance for the audience.”

“I would love to come see you.”

“No, don't- I mean, I give you early performances for free, why would you bother coming all the way down to the old City?”

“Because it's you. And I want to support you. Is there a problem?”

“Private and professional lives”, Atalanta repeated. “Very separate. It's better this way.”

Scarlet suppressed another cough ; her partner told her to wait while she picked up the cup and went to fetch more honey drink. Kay turned in their sleep but did not wake.

The second cup was still warm, but obviously not as much as the first.

“While I respect your wishes”, Scarlet said once the empty-again cup was back on the bedside table, “I do wonder why you seem so worried about this. What is the worst that could happen?”

Atalanta sat back down and sighed.

“It- It's just...” she stammered. “It would be... awkward is all.”

“And why is that, dearie?”

“Well, hum, you see...” the butterfly trailed off, covering her face with her hands.

Her partner encouraged her to continue.

“Isleptwithmyboss!” Atalanta burst out, her voice muffled.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I- I slept with my boss. It was before you and I got back together and- and...”

Scarlet shifted so that she could comfortably rest one hand on her lover's shoulder.

“Was this to... get the job?” she asked.

“No”, Atalanta responded, slowly uncovering her face. “I already had it. She threw a party for everyone working there to celebrate the opening, and well... Long story short... We had a one-night stand after the party.”

Scarlet nodded silently. The concept of one night stands didn't really make sense to her. Of course she knew what the phrase meant, and that some bugs and other creatures had them sometimes, but how they managed to even get in the mood to mate without building an emotional connection with the other first was beyond her. She guessed she just functioned differently.

“She's a butterfly like me”, her partner continued, “and a very considerate bug, but... when we... all I could think about was you.”

The princess removed her palm from the butterfly's shoulder to take her hand again.

“There is no point in feeling awkward about this now, is there?” she said. “No harm was done.”

“Yes, you're right”, Atalanta admitted. “But I can hardly control how I feel.”

“I know.”

“Do you think I should... quit?”

“Why? Is she trying to pursue you still?”

“No, of course not!” Atalanta reassured her partner. “I told her I wasn't interested in an encore and she respected that. Never spoke of any of this again.”

“Well then...” Scarlet said. “Do what feels best to you. I trust you.”

The butterfly moved closer to press her face against her lover's in her version of a kiss. Scarlet responded with her own version...

Then backed away and covered her mouth just in time to avoid coughing all over her face.

“Sorry about this”, she apologised. “And...whatever you decide to do, you should inform your employer. Go now, I can manage it from here.”

“Thank you for trusting me.”

Atalanta gave her partner one more kiss before standing up and leaving the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on ever elaborating on what Atalanta's job was, but life is full of surprises


	8. Date Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have more Scarlet/Kaydence stuff!  
> I've settled on "Scarlet Butterfly" as the ship name 'cause it works no matter when on their timeline it is. Don't have to have different ship names for Atalanta and Kaydence this way!

Troupe Master Grimm's ideas of good places to visit while on a date could be pretty strange, but they were always interesting. So when Kaydence took her hand and they stepped out of the Realm together, the butterfly was curious and excited to see what she wanted to show her this time. What would it be? Some ruins of a long gone era, so eroded by time & the elements that they were nearly indistinguishable from naturally occurring stone and moss? A giant tree turned entirely to stone through some kind of process most mortal bugs didn't fully understand? An ancient graveyard with tombstones engraved in a language only the Heart itself -and therefore Grimm- still remembered how to read?

Kaydence did not expect to find herself in front of a statue of a snail that was big enough to make even the Troupe Master look small.

“I like to visit this one every other century, to pay respect”, says the latter as though it was the only explanation required.

The statue, standing at the center of a large circle of actual shells of long dead snails, was almost completely covered in yellow lichen. This lichen was seemingly the only thing that grew within that circle, as no vegetation was visible in the soil.

“I assume it has some interesting history”, the mortal bug guessed.

“In some parts of the world, it is believed snails are closer to higher beings than other mortal creatures are”, Grimm explained. “You might have heard something to that effect?”

Kaydence searched her memories for a second, then nodded. The other continued :

“Some tribes of snails are indeed capable of creating spells most mortals could only dream of having access to. And here... well. You could say the comparison between snails and higher beings was drawn to its logical extreme. By this I mean the spell-crafting snails were revered as gods in their own right. It did not end well.”

“What happened?”

“The actual higher beings overseeing this part of the world did not take kindly to mortals being treated as equal to them. This snail tribe and most of their worshippers were wiped out and their tragic end fueled the scarlet flames.”

“Oh, so the Troupe came afterwards”, Kaydence said. “Fuelled one of your predecessors, huh? Could- Could your ancestor have done anything to protect them? The tribe and the worshipers, I mean.”

The Troupe Master sighed.

“It was already far too late when we were called. It always is. That is part of the whole point, isn't it?”

The butterfly took a few steps back to better observe the statue.

“I helped my caretaker of the time set up the shells around the monument”, Grimm explained. “Well, my predecessor's caretaker, I should say. This bug later went on to rebuild the village down by the river. It is a great city now.”

“Can we go there?” Kaydence asked. “Hum, unless- unless the higher beings who killed everyone are still there. Wouldn't want to run into those.”

“They are not. By destroying everyone else, they also destroyed themselves. Someone else has taken over since, but it is unlikely we run into them.”

The two took a moment to silently bow to the monument before going to the city.

The city by the river was so full of life it felt like it couldn't possibly be in the same world as the snail monument.

Bugs of thousands of species could be seen here, walking the busy streets, selling various foods and trinkets, carrying packages back and forth, and so on. The city was divided in half by the river and, near the water at the the center of it all stood a tree that glowed a strange, slightly yellow light in the night.

“They haven't grown a whole lot...” Grimm thought aloud.

“Who?” Kaydence asked.

“The Tree.”

“Let's go see it!” the butterfly exclaimed, taking her partner's hand and gently dragging it forward.

“Must we?” Grimm hesitated. “I do not think dragging you into higher beings business more than I already have would be wise.”

“Oh, so it is... I see. Is this one... murderous too?”

“As far as I know, they are not”, the Troupe Master replied. “But you see... as a general rule, higher beings do not appreciate me and the Troupe very much. We are a bad omen.”

“I guess we are, huh? Where do you want to go, then?”

“I bet the market has interesting things to see. And it should be far enough.”

Hand in hand, they descended into the market. Most of it was contained into a large building of dirt and stone. Grimm explained that the last time she came here (or, more accurately, the last time one of her previous incarnations came here), the entire market fitted into this building ; it had quite obviously expanded outwards since.

There were so many things on display that Kaydence had never seen before, and languages spoken that she couldn't understand.

“So, hum.... Do you speak the language?” she asked her partner. “The one they speak here?”

“I am a bit rusty”, Grimm admitted, admiring a very well-stocked and well-organised fruit stand, “but we should be fine. Are you hungry? I sure am.”

She spotted another merchant a bit farther away selling flowers, including some of Kaydence's favourites, and pointed it out.

“Sounds really good”, the butterfly said. “But I don't have- Do _you_ have any currency?”

Grimm let go of her partner's hand, took a silk pouch from somewhere under her wings and looked inside of it.

“Let me see...” she muttered to herself. “Which ones do they use here, again? I think it was these.”

She took a couple tiny river stones out of the pouch. They were engraved with a stylised rendition of a tree.

Kaydence told her partner to wait a moment, and asked if her scarlet eyes could see if others were paying with similar pebbles. Grimm confirmed it was indeed the case. However, she had no idea just how much those she had were worth.

She hid the pouch back under her wing, kept the river stones in one hand, and lead Kaydence towards the florist with the other.

She started talking to the bug and showing them the pebbles. She had to repeat herself, but they seemed to understand eventually, as they paired words and gestures towards various flowers in front of them to answer the question. Grimm nodded, then turned to Kaydence :

“Which one would you prefer, dear? Of those this merchant has shown us, I mean.”

Without any hesitation whatsoever, the butterfly pointed at a large piece of buddleia. Whatever the opposite of surprise was, her partner's smile was the perfect picture of it.

Grimm bought the flower, thanked the merchant for it, and gave it to Kaydence.

As they got away from the flower stand, Grimm turned her partner's mask just askew enough that she could eat.

“Thanks, Grimm”, Kaydence said. “We still have one stone, right? Do you want- Wait, where was that one fruit stand from earlier?”

Grimm seemed to stare at nothing for a couple seconds, but the butterfly knew she was looking around in her own unique way.

“Over there”, she finally said, taking Kaydence's hand again and guiding her through the crowd.

Navigating said crowd was made easier by the fact that a lot of bugs tended to steer away from them. Perk of being in the Troupe, the butterfly guessed as she followed her partner while feeding on one of the small flowers on the piece of buddleia.

Grimm bought two pieces of fruit, one of which she started to feed on. She stored the other under her wing and stated she intended to wait until it would get overripe just how Kaydence liked her fruits.

“Why, thank you”, the latter said. “Next time _I_ should buy you something.”

“You do not have to.”

“But I want to. I think I still have some currency from my homeland somewhere...”

“You would go back there?”

“You still visit your aunt sometimes”, Kaydence pointed out. “Besides, I don't- It's not like I'd go back to my old apartment. Especially after that one mosquito upstairs...”

“You wanted me to scare him away, so I did.”

Grimm punctuated her sentence by starting to feed on her morsel.

“They call you the Nightmare King for a reason, huh?”

The butterfly went back to eating her food, and she and her partner got away from the market to find a public bench.

They sat together in silence, enjoying each other's company. And also their food.

Until city guards came to talk to them in a very stern tone.

“The Tree must have sensed us and sent them”, Grimm whispered to Kaydence.

The Troupe Master stood up. The fly guard who was talking fell silent for a few seconds as he realised just how much she towered over him.

“Are they asking us to leave?” Kaydence asked, standing up as well and straightening up the mask on her face.

“They are asking why we are here”, Grimm replied.

She turned to the guard again and talked slowly. The other guard, a beetle with scratch marks all over their shell, said something to their fly officer ; Grimm sighed in frustration.

“What's going on?” her partner asked.

“They say my verbiage is antiquated. As long as they understand me, I don't see where the problem is!”

The fly spoke again. The Troupe Master nodded, then turned to Kaydence again :

“Let us leave.”

As she tried to say goodbye to the guards, both of them pointed their lances towards the foreigners. The fly had a lot of authority in his voice for someone talking to a being around four times his height.

“...They want to escort us out of the city”, Grimm explained. “They really want to make sure we won't just go to a different street.”

“Seriously? They'd get rid of us quicker if we just teleported out of here.”

“True, but if we do this they might keep looking for us.”

The guards took the points of their lances away from the others and gestured at them to follow, which they did.

“This is why I tend to avoid this kind of places”, Grimm sighed as they all walked together. “The Tree must have gotten better at sensing... creatures like us.”

Kaydence apologised.

“I mean”, she added, “going to the city was my idea and, well, I- I didn't think it would be a problem...”

“You are not the one to blame for higher beings not getting along with us, dear. Besides, I thought we would be far enough from them that they wouldn't sense us, and I was wrong. Anyway... I still got to spend time with you, so I would say it was worth it.”

“Aw...”

Kaydence took her partner's hand in hers again and held on tight.

“Does your offer to take me to your homeland still stand?” Grimm asked. “I've never had higher beings problems there. Not in a very long time, anyway.”

“Of course it still stands”, Kaydence replied, caressing her partner's hand with her thumb. “It always will.”

“It is good to actually be welcomed somewhere. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually looked up what flowers red admiral butterflies would be likely to eat, and found out there's one called "butterfly bush" (or buddleia) so the choice was obvious.
> 
> Also to give you an idea of the scale in the last part : the fly guard is about the size of Sly and Scarlet is the same size as her dad. I checked the sprites and believe me, the "four times his height" bit is NOT an exaggeration.


	9. Madame Vee

Atalanta went directly to Madame Vee's office.

Madame Vee was the same kind of butterfly as Atalanta (though slightly taller & bigger, and with some white spots on the tips of her wings), and one of the co-directors of the new Pleasure House. Specifically, she directed everything to do with the stage and therefore was the one Atalanta worked under.

The latter knocked on the door and, once given permission to enter, went in to apologise.

“I- I'm sorry I'm late, there was, well, a medical emergency and...”

Madame Vee stood up from her comfy-looking office chair and walked up to her employee.

“Are you alright?” she asked worriedly.

“Oh, _I_ am fine! It's...”

Atalanta hesitated for a second before deciding that, well, since she had already broken her work&private life separation rule when she agreed to follow her employer to her bedroom that one time, she might as well just get to the point.

“My partner- I have one now- she didn't feel so well”, she explained. “Had to, you know... help her out, make sure she would be alright...”

“This is very considerate of you”, Vee commented, a smile audible in her voice.

“...So I am not in trouble or anything?”

“No, it would be a shame to lose you here.”

“I... I suppose... ” Atalanta muttered to herself, staring at the wall to her right.

“...Are you sure you're alright?” her employer asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Atalanta focused on Vee again and told her she had to go rehearse for tonight's show.

“Just know that you can talk to me if there is a problem”, Vee told her before she left.

Vee had heard that Princess Scarlet was with a butterfly, but wasn't sure which one until Atalanta mentioned her partner.

She had to be careful now. The last thing she wanted was to upset the royalty of her new homeland. She had invested too much here to move away again.

After the show was over, Vee went to see Atalanta backstage to ask for a private conversation. She agreed, and the two butterflies went into the co-director's office.

“First off”, Vee said as she closed the door behind them, “you do not have to answer if you don't want to, but... I have heard rumors of the princess being with a butterfly. Would that happen to be you?”

“...Yes. Why?”

The co-director went to sit at her desk and invited her employee to take the take the other chair, which she did.

“I have mentioned our plans to build a new section of the House, correct?” Vee asked. After the other butterfly nodded, she continued : “and you see... Since this new section would be under my supervision, I thought it would be wise to ask someone else to help manage the show floor in my absence while I work on the other project. I was told _not_ to pick you because it would look like I was favouring my own species over everyone else.”

“I would not have been a very good manager anyway”, Atalanta said.

“If I can learn it, so can you”, Vee pointed out. “Either way, to be perfectly honest with you, I am now worried that the royal family won't appreciate if I do not give you this promotion...”

“They won't care. I mean- if _I_ 'm not upset, they won't be either. Why did you consider me anyway? Is... Is this because of... that one time?”

“No, it is because I trust you. Simple as that. As you said before, what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom.”

“You should pick someone else”, Atalanta suggested. “And please don't treat me differently. Maybe... Maybe I should actually quit.”

“Are you unhappy here?” Vee asked, worried. “If there is anything I can do to fix it, do tell me.”

“That's not it. I love working here! But- But if you start doing me favours I won't ever be sure whether it is because of that one time, or because I am with Scarlet, or because I actually deserved it. You know?”

“Oh... I'm so sorry, I didn't... think of that. You do have a point : you can never truly be certain of someone else's motives.”

“But I cannot let everyone else down now”, Atalanta stated. “I have to at least do the shows that have already been announced, right?”

“This would avoid having to cancel them, and give me time to plan ahead. And if in the meantime I find a new co-director, I could focus entirely on the new project and you would be able to work under someone else and therefore stay with us if you so wish.”

“Sounds good”, Atalanta agreed. “I... I should go home now. Good night!”

As she stood up and walked to the door, Vee called to her :

“Good night! And say hi to your partner for me!”


	10. What Are We

Once again, Grimm and Atalanta were cuddling on the latter's bed, catching their breaths.

“If your neighbours didn't hear us before”, the one with the scarlet eyes eventually said as she wrapped her wing around the butterfly's shell, “they definitely have now.”

“My brother and I have had to put up with hearing them mate all the time for years so they can put up with us now”, Atalanta said, her head still resting on the other's warm body.

“I cannot believe it”, Grimm declared with overdramatic faux outrage. “All this time you were using me to get back at your noisy neighbours. Truly, dear friend, you wound me...”

The butterfly propped herself up to look at the other's face and told her :

“I would never 'use' you. You deserve better.”

“I know”, Grimm smiled. “The pettiness is a delicious added bonus though, is it not?”

Atalanta giggled.

“I guess it is...”

She laid back down, the other's wing keeping her close. Grimm was careful to leave enough of Atalanta exposed that she would not overheat.

“Grimm?”

“Hmm?”

“Are we... friends with benefits? Or is this... a relationship? As in a romantic one, I mean.”

“Do you want it to be?”

“Do you?”

In another life, this would be the point where Grimm warns the other about the Ritual, the death & rebirth... But things were changing. If everything went according to plan, she would be the last Troupe Master. This also meant that, for the first time in countless cycles, she didn't know how long she had left. The pattern was now uncertain, unclear.

Was this how mortals felt?

Either way, she wouldn't mind spending the rest of her life with Atalanta, however long it would be. She wouldn't mind at all...

“It would be...” she said softly. “It would be nice, yes.”

“We're partners now, then?”

“Yes. Come here...”

Grimm helped her partner move so that she was at eye level with her, and planted kisses all over her face. Atalanta had no lips to kiss back with but she responded in her own way by pressing her face to Grimm's, taking her hand, and interlocking their fingers together.

Eventually, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Waking up in a bed always felt strange to Grimm. It would only happen if she had felt particularly unwell the night before, or if she had been “having fun” as Atalanta was calling it now.

Either way, feeling something under her body while waking up just felt wrong in a way no language the Heart had learned over the centuries could accurately describe. Holding onto something or someone usually helped a lot, if only by distracting her ; however right now her hand found nothing.

She sat up and opened her eyes. Atalanta was standing right next to her table, putting flowers and pieces of fruits on a platter. She heard Grimm yawn, turned to her and said :

“Good morning! I got you some cherry.”

“Thank you, dear.”

The taller creature got up, walked to her partner, and bent down to give her a good morning kiss before they both sat down around the table to eat.

“So...” Atalanta said after a while. “Can I join the Troupe now?”

“If this is truly what you wish... yes, you can. Just remember this means leaving your past life behind.”

“I know this. I want to leave it behind. There is nothing left for me here.”

“I do not simply mean 'leave it behind' as in 'moving away'”, the Troupe Master explained. “Joining the Troupe means taking on a new identity. Even if you returned here, no-one who knew you before would recognise you. If they still exist by then.”

“A new identity, huh?” the butterfly repeated. “Does that mean I have to change my name?”

“It is in our traditions for new members to do so. Though, I guess no-one would mind if you were too attached to your current name to change it.”

Atalanta thought about it for a while, picking another small flower from the platter and twirling it between her hands, making it dance.

“Hum, what about...” she thought aloud. “Oh, wait, I have an idea. I could be... Kaydence.”

“I see what you did there”, Grimm smiled. “Also, it is a lovely name for a lovely bug.”

“Aw, thank you.”

“I shall prepare the welcoming ceremony. You do not have to bring anything, you only have to answer a few questions that amount to 'are you ready for this?'. Then, if you truthfully answer 'yes' to all of them, I will offer you a mask, and if you accept it and put it on, you will be one of us.”

Atalanta nodded and started feeding on the flower while listening to the Troupe Master's explanations.

“The mask will be unique to you”, Grimm continued, “but most importantly it will mark you as someone who serves the Heart.”

“The Nightmare one you've mentioned before?”

“Obviously. I might hold the title of Nightmare King, but I too am a servant to the Heart. It is because of it that the Troupe exist, traveling through dreams and showing up at lantern's call...”

“Can you enter someone's dreams?” the butterfly asked.

“With permission, yes. I am a creature of the Nightmare Realm, dreamwalking is easy for me.”

“Can you enter _my_ dreams?”

“I might grant you an audience with the Nightmare King once you are in the Troupe, if you wish... This could be fun. Though, I should warn you that my nightmare form can get... somewhat more intense.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some creatures' dream selves can differ slightly from their waking selves in appearance and behaviour”, Grimm explained. “The form one takes in dreams can be influenced by their memories, how they perceive themself, how they think they should be... and many other factors. There are also things your dream self might do that you would not necessarily attempt while awake. It all depends on the individual. If you do meet my Nightmare King form, you will be able to tell the difference immediately.”

“Like a different aspect of you I haven't seen yet?”, Atalanta guessed.

The other nodded.

“I can't wait”, the butterfly continued.

“But you will have to”, her partner stated. “We should worry about welcoming you into the Troupe first.”

“Yes, of course.”

“I will take you to the tent when you and everyone else are ready.”


	11. Girls Night

“Of course you're not forced to do it”, the Troupe Master told Kaydence. “But it is a power granted to Troupe members that you can use now, if you so wish.”

“So is no-one here showing their true appearance?” the butterfly asked, sitting at Grimm's desk.

“Allow me to answer your question with a question : what is a 'true appearance'? Isn't the way you appear always different to each individual? Vision varies from creature to creature. One that cannot see red would perceive me very differently from one who can. Would either of them be more right than the other about what I look like?”

“I see what you mean... I think.” Kaydence replied. “I meant that every Troupe member deliberately changed how they looked like, right? So none of them looks like how they did before joining?”

“Your adult form is not less real than your caterpillar form was”, Grimm replied.

“Now _this_ I understand better. Should have lead with that. Anyway... This does sounds _very_ interesting. How do I actually... well, make it work?”

Grimm walked behind the butterfly and covered the eye holes of her mask.

“Picture yourself in your mind”, she instructed her, leaning above her, her red shell touching the back of the chair.

As she kept talking, one of Kaydence's antennae accidentally brushed against her partner's body.

“I- I'm sorry, I can't focus like this”, Kaydence said.

“My apologies.”

Grimm stepped away from the chair and resumed guiding the new Troupe member through the process. Soon, the colours on Kaydence's wings and shell had shifted to an even darker hue than before. When she got up from the chair, it appeared she was slightly taller now too.

The way she was holding herself was a bit different. More confident. She had already gotten the hang of projecting the slightly intimidating aura of the Troupe.

Before Grimm could compliment her, Divine's voice called to them both.

The Troupe Master opened the room's entrance to ask her what she wanted.

“Girls Night!” Divine simply exclaimed.

“Could you elaborate?” Grimm asked her.

“We should have a girls night! Now that you're female and Kaydence is here, we can do that!”

Kaydence walked to the door to ask the other bug what she had in mind.

In the Nightmare Realm, girls night could take place whenever. Therefore, only a few minutes later the three of them were already sitting on the floor of Divine's room, eating snacks and sharing stories.

“And this needle is the second best thing I've ever made!” the half-masked one bragged. “The best thing are my children, of course.”

“I've only seen Zephyr here”, Kaydence said, “so... I take it his siblings are not in the Troupe.”

“They wanted to explore the world”, Divine explained. “Zephyr wanted to serve with us. I'm proud of all of them!”

“I also chose to stay when most of my siblings left...” the butterfly thought aloud. “Do you have any water here?”

Divine grabbed a bottle on a shelf and passed it to her fellow Troupe member. The latter considered asking about Zephyr's father, but given what she was told about Divine, she ultimately decided she did not want to know.

However, the older lady talked anyway :

“They were conceived during the last Ritual. So much fun. So delicious.”

“You are talking about your... mating partner, right?” Grimm asked.

“Of course.”

Kaydence adjusted her choker. For the third time in five minutes. This gift from her partner was brand new and she wasn't used to wearing it yet.

“Glad you had fun while I was out there looking for flames and fighting off shambling husks all over Hallownest...” the Troupe Master said.

Divine chuckled at her sarcasm. Meanwhile, Kaydence opened the bottle.

“You were _sleeping_ , Master”, the half-masked bug retorted.

“My father went to sleep as part of the Ritual”, Grimm pointed out. “ _I_ , as in this body, was...”

Kaydence had completely stopped listening as she was staring at the way the light of the torches reflected on the glass bottle and how the reflections danced when she moved the object in her hands.

“Kaydence?” Grimm called.

The butterfly looked up from the bottle with little idea of how much time had passed.

“You can remove your mask to drink, you know”, the Troupe Master told her.

“Oh, I- I wasn't even thinking about... any of that anymore”, Kaydence said, moving her mask out of the way.

“Should have requested a mask like this!” Divine told her, tapping her own half-mask with her claw.

“I didn't think of it...” the butterfly admitted. “What were we talking about before that?”

Grimm hesitated, as she did not remember either.

“You were talking about... when your auntie banned you from the kitchen, I think”, Divine said.

Her Master thanked her then got back to her story.

Kaydence drank a bit, put her mask back on, and passed the bottle on to Grimm, who passed it on to Divine. The latter took a sip before putting the bottle back on the shelf.

“So Kaydence”, she said, “what about you? Tell us a story!”

“Well... I don't really have anything interesting to say.”

“That is not true”, Grimm said. “I like the way you tell stories.”

“Thank you Gr- I mean, hum, Master!” the butterfly corrected herself.

The Troupe Master chuckled.

“It is alright, dear. You may call me whatever you like, tradition be damned.”

“You two are cute”, Divine cooed. “Very cute together. I'm so glad I convinced Master to ask you...”

“Me too”, Kaydence said. “I guess I should thank you...”

“Think of it as a gift! My gift to the both of you.”

Divine picked up the bottle again, finished it, and put it on the floor.

“To be honest, I think...” the butterfly trailed off. “I think I needed it.”

“Needed what exactly?” her partner asked. “Companionship? A meaningful connection? Carnal pleasure?”

“Y-yes”, Kaydence replied. “I mean... all of it. Everyone I could have any of those with moved away with all the other butterflies or died or...”

Grimm gave her a warm side-hug. The butterfly leaned into her before continuing :

“Now I have you and a community I belong in. This is what I needed in my life. I wish my brother could be there to see it...”

Divine approached Kaydence to put a claw on her other shoulder, careful not to accidentally hurt her shell.

The three stayed quiet for a moment before the half-masked one asked the new member about the other butterflies.

Kaydence perked up and started talking about her family and childhood friends. Divine eventually removed her claw.

“...And my best friend was a different type of caterpillar and she lived right next to us.”

“You have mentioned her before”, Grimm remembered. “It sounded like you were very close.”

“Yes...” Kaydence whispered, staring at the floor in front of her. “I don't know if I should... talk about this...”

“Girls night is all about talking about things!” Divine exclaimed. “And I'm curious now.”

“Well, hum, what I didn't tell you before, Grimm, is that, hum... Some time after metamorphosis and before she moved to a warmer region, we briefly had a, hum, friends with benefits thing going on?”

“I did get the impression you had done this before”, Grimm said. “Not to give away too many details...”

“What about you?” Kaydence asked, wrapping one arm around her partner.

“...It's complicated. Are we counting past lives or just this one?”

Divine chuckled.

“Master”, she said, smiling, “you even asking this question like that... It already gives away the answer!”

Grimm had to admit that she was right. Her partner rested her head onto her warm body.

“And you don't want to talk about what you did in previous cycles, right?” Divine continued.

“I would rather not”, the Troupe Master confirmed. “I was literally a different person.”

“But you remember.”

“Divine? We should move on.”

Kaydence went back to talking about her childhood, just to change the subject. Grimm, even though she had heard some of it before, was listening intently and smiling.


	12. Bedtime Stories

As soon as Scarlet felt better, she went back to hanging upside-down instead of lying down like a normal bug. Atalanta, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looked up at her.

“Surely this can't be more comfortable than simply lying down”, she said.

“It is for me”, her partner replied.

“What about when we cuddle?”

“Then I just focus on you, so it's better.”

“Is it because you're only ever alone in bed when you don't feel well or is it a sensory thing?” Atalanta asked.

“I don't know”, Scarlet admitted. “Probably both.”

Kay suddenly appeared in Atalanta's lap. They had grown again recently, but strangely their shell remained grey and showed no sign of changing colours.

The butterfly scratched their horns and they responded with a purring sound. She praised them for being the cutest baby in Dirtmouth, so they purred louder.

“They agree with you”, Scarlet said, her smile audible. “So confident already.”

Atalanta took the child in one arm and got up to the bookshelves. She picked one of the simplest books of stories from her partner's collection, sat back on the bed, installed Kay back on her lap between the book and herself, and started telling them a bedtime story. She had started doing this every night shortly after moving in with her partner.

Kay looked intently at the book, mimicking the act of reading that they had seen their mothers do so many times. They hadn't been taught how to actually read yet, but their parents found the effort they put into it very endearing. Once the story was finished, Kay closed their black eyes and settled to sleep right then and there.

“I like the way you tell stories”, Scarlet whispered, trying not to wake up their child.

“My mother would read to all of us”, Atalanta replied in the same tone. “My siblings and I, I mean. We would gather all around her...”

The butterfly stayed silent for a moment, recalling fond memories and slowly moving Kay to their own sleeping place without waking them up.

For the longest time in her remembered life, she had imagined that if she ever had children, she would have a big family like the one she grew up in.

She wondered... could she have more children than just the one? She could and did mate with Scarlet, but could they breed? And would their hypothetical other children teleport all over the place too? Would Scarlet even want more children?

These were questions for when mating season would come.

An entire lunar cycle passed.

Atalanta was now on vacation while Madame Vee was training a new manager for the stage part of the Pleasure House.

Said new manager-in-training had recently arrived in the kingdom with two musicians he had convinced the co-director to hire. Scarlet had met the trio near that one ants nest previously and was pretty sure she used to know them before she traded her memories and past identity for freedom.

Either way, Scarlet and Atalanta really wanted to see Nymm & Déa's first show as Pleasure House artists.

The butterfly was hesitant to bring her partner at first ; however she figured that, given the recent developments, there was no point in avoiding this situation anymore.

They walked in hand in hand and were greeted by a delighted and slightly over-enthusiastic Madame Vee.

“Welcome to the Pleasure House, my lovelies! It's an honour to have you here...”

“No need to use your customer voice”, Atalanta told her. “How is everything?”

Vee switched back to her normal voice to explain that everything was going well and Zed was taking care of things backstage.

“He is a fast learner”, she said. “Soon enough he should be able to handle things on his own and you'll be able to come back if you want.”

“I would love that.”

Vee turned to Scarlet and said :

“I am assuming she has told you the rules already?”

“'We respect your privacy, respect ours', 'do not touch the employees unless otherwise stated', 'keep the place clean' and 'enjoy yourselves'” the princess recited.

“Good, good”, Vee commented, nodding. “Shall I guide you to your seats before the show begins, then?”

Scarlet nodded, smiling warmly. The co-director first offered the couple front row seats ; Scarlet was worried her tall figure might bother audience members behind her so it was ultimately decided they would sit in the back.

More and more audience members arrived to fill the seats. Most were regulars, but Atalanta spotted a few new faces.

The quiet whispers of conversations between visitors to the House died down when Zed arrived on stage to announce the brand new act of Nymm & Déa was about to start.

Atalanta, Scarlet, Déa, Nymm and Zed all met outside of the Pleasure House after the show and walked to the nearest stag station together. (Not all the runners of the stagways were stag beetles anymore, yet the name remained.)

Scarlet was increasingly convinced the trio used to be members of past her's Troupe ; however she wasn't quite sure of how to bring up the subject. Maybe a stag station full of other Pleasure House guests waiting to go back home was not the best place for this anyway...

“I mean”, Atalanta said to Zed, “one of the artists working under you is your own mother. Is there no problem with that?”

“We didn't tell them”, Déa replied.

“I thought it was obvious”, Zed added, “so... we just didn't bring it up.”

The butterfly put her head in her hands.

“I think you probably should have mentioned this detail”, Scarlet said.

“I swear if Vee has to look for a replacement all over again...” Atalanta muttered from behind her own hands.

“I could just go work at a different section of the House!” Déa suggested confidently.

“What even are the other sections?” Scarlet asked.

“Aside from the one we were just in”, Nymm explained, “there is the restaurant and the hot spring. I quite like the latter. It's good for body and soul.”

“I'll ask the directors of those tomorrow” Déa decided.

“They're building an extension for the future brothel too”, Atalanta added.

Why did Scarlet have a bad feeling about Déa choosing this option?

“It won't be done for a while”, Déa pointed out. “So I'll apply somewhere else.”

Atalanta and Scarlet came back home to Hornet watching over Kay as they slept.

The child, hearing their mothers enter, woke up and teleported to them, purring and happily flapping their ribbon-like wings. Scarlet caught them and held them in her arms.

“We're happy to see you too”, she told them, smiling.

“I already told them a bedtime story like you said”, Hornet informed the parents, “but I would not be surprised if they wanted another one now.”

“It is alright”, Atalanta said. “They're the most adorable audience I've ever had.”

The three adults exchanged a few more words before saying good night. Hornet went back to her own house and the others settled in for a way-past-bedtime story. Kay was quite sleepy still, so they fell back into slumber pretty quickly.

The butterfly sat back on the bed after putting the child on their pillow pile, and looked up at her partner who was hanging upside down in her usual spot.

“So, hum, I- I've been thinking a lot about... Well, mating season is coming soon for me and... Would we even be able to produce offsprings together at all?”

Scarlet teleported right side up in front of Atalanta and sat next to her.

“Just to make sure”, she said, “are you asking because you don't want more children or because you do?”

“I do. I really do. But well... we might not know what you are, but we're definitely different species.”

“What about adoption?”

“I was hoping that... I mean, obviously I don't want orphans to happen. But if we could both adopt _and_ make children, why wouldn't we? Adoption is not just a back-up plan.”

“You are right as always”, Scarlet agreed. “Hum... Dirtmouth is a pretty safe place nowadays so there aren't many orphaned children around, but unwanted eggs might still happen. We can ask around. As for you and I... Hybrids are not unheard of, but they _are_ extremely rare.”

“Yes”, Atalanta said. “And if we do manage to produce offspring... would they inherit your powers? Because multiple teleporting caterpillars might be a problem.”

“The only hybrid I know is Hornet”, Scarlet stated. “Maybe I could ask her a few questions? As for the teleporting issue... There might be a way to limit it. I shall look into that as well.”

“I really hope we can make it work”, Atalanta said.

Scarlet cupped Atalanta's face in her hand.

“I know we can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is whether or not Scarlet and Atalanta can have biological children even a question?  
> All Grimms are hermaphrodite (I guess I can use that word here since they're not human? Ironically bugs would not know that word 'cause they don't know who Hermaphroditus is). That's what Scarlet meant earlier on in the series when she said there was no physical differences between female or male Grimms. Grimmchildren aren't assigned a gender at birth but they may or may not identify as a particular one later on depending on what feels right to them.


	13. A Variation On A Theme

Divine woke up in her room the morning (here “morning” meant “whenever you wake up” rather than a fixed time) after Kaydence's welcoming party. Kaydence herself had missed most of it, but Divine didn't need scarlet eyes to know that the newcomer and the Master had their own little private party together.

Grimm hadn't shown interest in female bugs in a couple lifetimes, the half-masked one mused. It was interesting to see what changes rebirth could bring, like variations in the endless song that kept it fresh while still recognisable.

Deep down, Divine knew that Master Grimm would always be Master Grimm despite everything.

She got up, stretched her limbs and went to leave her bedroom. Right outside of it, standing there waiting for her, was none other than Grimm.

“Good morning, Divine. May I talk to you for a minute?”

“Why, of course!”

They moved to Divine's room.

Before even opening her eyes, Kaydence's first conscious thought as she started waking up was that something was missing.

She opened her eyes. The bed was still warm but Grimm was gone : she must have gotten up mere moments ago. Where was she now?

Kaydence sat up and massaged the side of her own neck. Meanwhile, in another room, an accordion started playing. Most likely Brumm practicing. Which reminded the new Troupe member that she had missed out on her own welcoming party. Not that she regretted it in the slightest : she had gotten everything she wanted out of last night and more. She just hoped the others wouldn't see her as rude for not participating in celebrations that were supposed to be in her honour. Should she go and apologise? Or avoid getting more attention on this altogether?

She stood up, did her morning exercises, and left Grimm's room to go explore the rest of the tent, at last.

She was pretty sure it was bigger than how it appeared from the outside. And she found solid walls in some parts that still looked like the fabric present everywhere else. These things were probably only normal in the Nightmare Realm.

Two Grimmkins passed her in the corridor (a corridor in a tent?) and waved at her ; she waved back.

As they were about to go on their way to whatever it was they had to do today, the smaller one turned to her again, stared for a second, then turned back to catch up on their comrade. Kaydence wondered what that was about.

She eventually made her way to the stage area. It was empty now. It did not stay that way for long though, as Brumm soon arrived there as well. They greeted each other, and he gave a look to the area.

“Grimmkins already cleaned up everything”, he commented. “That was fast.”

He then turned to Kaydence again and told her :

“Divine will tease you about about the mark, you know.”

She covered the side of her neck with her hand and looked away. Was it that obvious?

“I- I just...” she stammered, trying to find something to say.

“No need to give any details”, Brumm continued.

“...You were saying something about Divine?” Kaydence asked in an attempt to change the subject. She kept her hand right where it was.

“She enjoys teasing her friends”, the musician explained. “Sometimes she still teases me about... things I've done in the past.”

“What kind of-” the dancer started to ask before stopping herself. “Wait, should I even ask? Or is it too personal?”

“Mrmm. Too personal. I do no wish to talk about it.”

“That's alright. Have you seen Gr- the Master anywhere?”

“Was she not with you?”

“I woke up right after she left, it seems. I guess I'll just keep looking.”

The new member was about to leave when the older bug told her to wait.

“She looks so happy with you...”

“Are you going to give me the old 'don't break my daughter's heart' talk?” Kaydence asked.

“Mrmm. I guess you could put it that way. But heartbreaks do happen, and aren't always anyone's fault. It would not be fair to expect you or anyone to always prevent them all the time. But I can ask you to at least try.”

“I will.”

Brumm nodded. Kaydence wished she could see his expression behind the mask.

“She should do the same too”, he said.

“That's just fair”, she agreed.

“She told you about all the changes in our usual pattern, didn't she?”

“As in... the old Ritual and the new plan?”

“Yes. Though I am not entirely sure what will happen to her now... I think you are lucky to have arrived now rather than earlier.”

Kaydence nodded, not knowing what else to add.

“I know you did not mean any harm by telling Brumm every Grimm is the same”, Grimm said, “but he has been working on accepting my father is gone for a long time now...”

“But you're not gone”, Divine argued. “You're changed but never gone.”

Grimm wondered whether this was her own way of dealing with seeing her dear Troupe Master die. No wonder she remained as cheerful as ever before and after the last Ritual while Brumm did not : they had very different ways of looking at the whole situation.

The Troupe Master herself would never be sure if either of them was more right than the other. What was it like to be so certain you are your own person with memories all your own that you don't even question it? To not ask yourself what parts of you were really you and what came from the Heart and its memories? Or whether you were nothing more than variations on a theme?

She hoped her plan would be done in time so that her future child wouldn't have to ask themself these questions.

“I will be honest with you, my friend”, Grimm said. “Even I am not sure if either of you is right about me. But I do know that Brumm is better off forgetting about my father.”

Divine opened her mouth to speak, hesitated for a moment, then finally closed it.

“He needs to move on”, Grimm continued, “and has been working on it since the last Ritual. We should not take the risk to have him step back on his progress, especially now that he feels better. If seeing my current incarnation as a daughter figure helps him, so be it.”

Divine nodded slowly. For once she had no comment to offer.

The Troupe Master's scarlet eyes could see Kaydence and Brumm talking in the main tent, but she tried to focus on the bug who was right in front of her rather than listen in on distant conversation.

“Thank you for your understanding”, she said to Divine. “Now...”

A Grimmkin holding a piece of fabric approached the small tent. Its Master knew it was coming to her.

“I have to go”, Grimm said. “Thanks again.”

With that, she teleported right outside to meet the Grimmkin Master.

“That was fast”, Grimm praised. “Thank you.”

The Grimmkin handed the piece of fabric to her : it was a choker that matched Kaydence's shell. She stored it under her wing and teleported near the stage area.

Brumm and Kaydence turned around when they heard Grimm's raspy voice wish them good morning. There was no morning to speak of here, but it was still polite to wish a good one.

“I was wondering where you were”, Kaydence said.

“I had matters to discuss and gifts to obtain”, Grimm explained.

She then produced a choker from under her wing and handed it to her partner, who took it to examine.

“It even matches me!” the butterfly exclaimed. “Thank you.”

She put it on. Then adjusted it a couple times just to make sure.

“It does suit you”, Brumm said.

“Why thank you”, Kaydence replied before turning to Grimm again :

“So, now that I am in the Troupe, is there any members-only secrets I should know?”

“We can discuss this in...” the Troupe Master trailed off. “Hum, my kin is currently setting up your room, so we'll go to mine.”

“Do we really need separate rooms?” the new member asked.

“We all have one”, Brumm said. “That is part of everyone's welcoming gifts. You do not have to use it.”

“Or we could use both”, Grimm added. “It is good to have options. Now, Kaydence, let us go to my room and I shall explain everything you need to know.”


	14. Good Girl

Taon's shop was officially opened now. In fact, their first business day in it was about to reach its end when Hornet stepped in, closely followed by Scarlet flying a step behind her.

The two adults talked about something. Scarlet was more focused on the smell on fruits in the air than on whatever they were going on about.

Eventually, they moved to the back room and the child was given some cherry to eat.

“...Well my sibling adopted it first”, Hornet explained, “so I guess that makes me this child's aunt.”

“Makes sense”, Taon said. “Anyway you and your... nibling? That's the neutral term right? Anyway, wouldn't wanna assume since, ya know, I have no idea what their gender is. Or if they have one at all. That sh- That stuff ain't for everyone.”

“Now that you mention it, I have no idea either.”

Scarlet tried to think about it while eating. The Grimmchild had the memories and knowledge of so many past lives but a child's brain to process it all, and a child's mouth (well, two of them) to communicate. While understanding other people's words was not too difficult, speaking still was.

Though, children's brain learn fast so it shouldn't take too long for Scarlet's to catch up.

The piece of cherry was almost finished now. What was Scarlet thinking of again? Was it important?

“Well, that's up to them to figure out”, the fly continued. “Anyway, as I was sayin', you two will always be welcomed here. And this cherry's on the house. Don't tell anyone though, I don't want other bugs to think they can get favours just like that, ya know? I got a business to run.”

“I do not think we could thank you enough for all your help”, Hornet said.

“Thank you”, Scarlet added.

This prompted Taon to do a double take.

“Ya can speak?” they asked. “Did I know that? I don't think I did.”

“Scarlet only started speaking very rencently”, Hornet explained. “And only a couple words.”

Scarlet was suspended upside-down from the ceiling of the new Dirtmouth home, right above the table Hornet and Taon were sitting at, sharing sugar water and inspecting the goods the merchant had brought with them to sell.

There was food, toys, and a set of cards depicting various creatures and their names. Most likely a tool to teach children how to recognise them.

Scarlet flew down and landed on the table to get a closer look, so the adults laid the cards in front of the child.

“Me”, said the latter, touching the snail card with a wing.

“Ya sayin' you're a snail?” Taon asked. “Ya don't look like one to me.”

“No”, Scarlet said.

“Perhaps it reminds you of yourself in some way?” Hornet guessed.

The child nodded. Then hesitated and thought really hard about how to explain.

“Well some snails have weird powers going on too...” the merchant pointed out. “Did you know that, kid?”

“Yes. But...”

The child fell silent, trying to find the right words but failing to do so.

“Take your time, little one”, Hornet encouraged her nibling.

After a while, Scarlet got bored and started chewing on a toy in the shape of a tiktik.

“There used to be a tribe of snail chamans in Hallownest”, Hornet said after finishing her glass. “At least one is still alive, but... I doubt any other still is. At the very least I haven't seen any other living snail in this kingdom in a long time.”

“I guess magic ain't always enough, huh?” Taon said somberly.

The sound of ripping fabric brought the adults' attention back to Scarlet. The toy tiktik laid ripped in half front of the child who was staring sadly at it.

“You need to be more careful!” Hornet scolded. “Or you won't have any toys left.”

“I think the kid's just realised that.”

The half-spider made the child apologise for the damage and then removed the pieces of toy from the table.

“Do not do that again”, she continued sternly. “If you were to destroy every toy I give you, I wouldn't be able to afford replacing them all. Do you understand?”

Scarlet nodded and apologised once more while Hornet paid the price of the destroyed toy to the merchant.

“We can test out different pronouns until you figure out which ones feel best for you”, Hornet told the child.

Taon had told her previously that they had done this for themself before. Scarlet thought this was a good idea. For the next few days, Hornet would switch up between different pronouns when referring to her nibling. Sometimes she would also refer to the child as her nephew or niece.

Very soon, Scarlet figured out that, even though her two previous incarnations had identified as male, being called a “he” no longer felt right.

There were no physical differences between Grimms of course, but that did not mean they couldn't have a gender, or change it, if it felt right to them.

Hornet was looking for materials deep into Crystal Peak. While she jumped onto a safe platform in the middle of a sea of sharp crystals, the child accompanying her spotted a Crystal Hunter and immediately launched a fireball at it.

Hornet put her needle in front of her face just in time to deflect the Crystal Hunter's pink projectile right back to its sender, then Scarlet finished the creature off with another well-placed fireball.

“Good girl”, Hornet praised the child.

The latter beamed, happily flapping her wings and repeating the phrase a few times. _Good Girl_. She started purring loudly.

“This is the happiest I have ever seen you”, her aunt pointed out, a smile in her voice.

“I'm a girl! I'm good!”

“Indeed. But we should not linger here too long. Let us keep searching.”

Scarlet nodded and followed her aunt closely as the latter leapt to the nearest safe platform.


	15. New Master, New Plan

Everyone else seemed to act as though the newly-returned Troupe Master had never left at all. Brumm did not comment on this, used as he was to keep his problems to himself ; however this did bother him a lot. He felt it wasn't fair to either previous or current Grimm to act like nothing had happened.

Yet, as always when something upset him, he said nothing and kept practicing with his accordion. Playing it came easier to him than talking about his feelings, or anything else for that matter. Years of playing more and more and talking less and less would do that to a bug.

He kept playing as one of Divine's children rushed into the room asking if he could hide there for hide and seek. The musician simply nodded to Zed, who hid under the bed while trying not to giggle. Brumm hoped his music would cover the sounds so the child wouldn't be immediately discovered.

Brumm wondered whether he too used to play hide and seek as a child. He most likely did, like all children, but could not remember. His own childhood was so long ago...

The young Master teleported into the room ; Brumm stopped playing.

“I wanted to talk to you”, she told him, “but I see we are not alone.”

A loud “shhhh!” came from under the bed.

“Your sister's approaching”, Grimm informed Zed.

Sure enough, another of Divine's children entered the room asking whether any of her siblings was in there. No-one replied, but she could smell her brother nearby. It did not take long before she checked under the bed, found Zed and dragged him out, giggling about how easy to track his smell was.

“Now that we're between full members...” the Master said. “Here's what I had Divine -and the Grimmkins- make for me.”

She took something from under her wings : it looked like the handle of something larger. Grimm brandished it in the air and a blade of red and gold essences appeared, making the weapon nearly as long as Brumm was tall.

She dismissed the blade again and gestured with the handle as she explained how she intended to use the Needle of Unity, as she called it.

“If the two realms become one again, the Ritual won't be necessary anymore!” she exclaimed. “We would better take our time though. We do not know how today's bugs would react to this after all. They're not used to the realms being one.”

Brumm stood there in silence the whole time she was speaking, clutching his accordion without making any sound with it, and remained silent for a while longer after she was done.

“Are you alright, friend?” she asked him.

“...Are you telling me there was another option all along?” he spoke at last, gripping his accordion so tightly his Master wondered if it was going to break.

“No, not all along”, she stated. “This plan only became possible shortly after the last Ritual. There is no-one left to guard the Dream anymore.”

The musician turned around and put his instrument on his desk. There was another moment of silence before he spoke again, his back to the young Troupe Master :

“I... did not expect convincing you to break the cycle would be so easy...”

“Are you wondering whether you could have done something for my father had you spoken up earlier?”

“...”

Brumm was now clutching the edge of his desk.

“The situation is different now”, the new Grimm continued. “You know this. And you know there is no point getting lost in a past you cannot change.”

He turned around, his eyes instinctively looking up at where a fully grown Grimm's eyes would be, then adjusting his gaze to where her face actually was. Still he said nothing.

“What was the last thing he told you before the Ritual, again?” the Troupe Master asked rhetorically, as she knew the answer well. She had access to the Heart's memories after all.

Brumm simply nodded, as he knew he did not need to give the answer aloud.

_It would be best for you if you forgot about me._

It might have been true, but Brumm could not forget, not now, not when he seemed to be the only one to still care about the previous Grimm after he'd been replaced by the new one.

No, simply forgetting would not do. What he needed to do was to move on. He wasn't sure how to even go about it though.

She put a hand on his shoulder.

“I'm sorry”, she said. “I am doing a terrible job. You deserved better than what you got.”

“Thank you.”

“It is but simple fact”, Grimm insisted. “Listen, my friend. I cannot give you everything you wanted, for... obvious reasons. But at the very least we can try to avoid the pitfalls we fell into before. So, if something is bothering you, come talk to me. I promise to listen and do my best to help.”

Brumm didn't know whether he wanted to smile or cry.

“Thank you”, he repeated. “I... I will try.”

“Thank _you_ for all you have done over the years.”

“Mrmm. You have had a lot of time to think about all of this while growing up away from us, didn't you?”

Grimm nodded and finally let go of the other's shoulder.

“Things are different now and that is a good thing”, she stated.

Brumm grabbed his accordion again and offered to play for her. He also offered his chair for her to sit on, which she did.

He started the first few notes of this one old song, her father's favourite, stopped to think for a second, and improvised a new tune instead. Things were going to be different now after all.

This made the young Troupe Master smile, which made the musician smile for the first time in quite a while under his mask. He made a mental note to play this again later to the other children.

She applauded once he was done.

“I think I have a new favourite”, she said.

“Good”, he replied.

 _Because the old one makes me sad_ , he did not say.

He remembered playing the old one to the previous Grimm often. Including when the then newly born child was there, in her father's arms, purring. He remembered looking after the child during the brief period before the Ritual. Everyone in the Troupe looked after the child. It wasn't an obligation or even a rule, but something that happened naturally. The Troupe Master alone would hold the title of father, mother or parent ; however the roles and tasks commonly associated with these titles were shared by the whole Troupe.

Brumm looked at the new Grimm again. She had grown a lot while in Hallownest (or was it Dirtmouth now? The details escaped him at the moment), but she wasn't quite an adult yet. She was just a bit older than Divine's children : he had to look after her. Not the same way he did when she was a baby, not the same way he would with the others, but still.

He then remembered something else.

He told the young Grimm to wait and searched his room for a minute before getting his hands on an engraved metal tube. Inside was an ancient scroll the previous Master had misplaced right before the last Ritual (which, if the plan went smoothly, would actually be the last). He never got to finish reading it before being sacrificed to the Heart.

“Your father forgot this here”, he explained, handing the tube to the new Troupe Master.

She got up, thanked him, and took the object in her hands.

“I- _he_ had completely forgotten about it, distracted as he was with the call”, she said. “I don't even remember what is written in there, so I shall go rediscover it now. Thank you again, my friend.”

“Don't misplace it!”, Brumm told her before she teleported away.


	16. A New Song

Kaydence woke up more exhausted than she was when she went to sleep. Grimm had warned her beforehand about this ; the butterfly had assumed she had been exaggerating a bit for effect. She knew now that it was quite the opposite.

The Troupe Master stirred in her sleep, suspended from the ceiling above her partner's bed. A minute or so later, she opened her scarlet eyes and wished the other good morning.

“'Morning”, Kaydence mumbled back.

“You sound exhausted”, Grimm observed. “My apologies.”

“It was worth it. I guess... I guess I won't be able to request an audience with my King too often though...”

Grimm chuckled.

“Told you. Go back to sleep without me. You need rest.”

Kaydence put her head back on the pillow and fell asleep again almost instantly. Her partner closed her eyes as well.

Kaydence woke up again later. She had feared the Nightmare King's visit would end up a foggy, quick-fading memory like dreams often do, but this one had been so vivid, so intense, that she still remembered it perfectly upon waking, which was a relief.

Grimm was sitting on the bed next to her, absorbed into the deciphering of a small stone tablet.

“Good morning again, dear”, she said. “How are you feeling?”

“Very good”, the butterfly replied. “But also very hungry.”

A snap of the Troupe Master's fingers later, a Grimmkin novice was there with Kaydence's favourite flower. The butterfly thanked the creature, took the flower, and started feeding.

“Could you come here and cuddle”? she asked Grimm once she was done eating. “And I do mean just cuddle this time.”

“My, my, has the insatiable butterfly been sated at last?” Grimm smiled, storing the tablet under her wing and lying down next to her partner.

“Oh, hush you”, Kaydence replied. “You love it too.”

“My dear, I love anything that allows me to spend time with you”, her partner stated as she wrapped a wing around her shell.

“You're adorable”, the butterfly said as she rested her head onto the other's body and held her tight.

“I am literally a creature of nightmares.”

“An adorable creature of nightmares.”

“You really fit in the Troupe quite nicely, don't you?” Grimm commented, amused, before placing a kiss on Kaydence's forehead.

“You really fit quite nicely in my-”

“Wait”, the Troupe Master interrupted. “It seems Zephyr's looking for us.”

“What does he want?”

“He has his instrument in hands so … he might have a song for us.”

“Hope it's good”, Kaydence said, not even attempting to untangle herself from her partner.

Soon enough, they heard Zephyr's voice through the door, asking if they were in here. The butterfly told him to wait a second.

The cuddling pair untangled themselves from each other, got up and finally opened the door.

“Is this for a new song?” the Troupe Master asked.

Zephyr nodded enthusiastically, then started playing right away.

A couple minutes later, the music ended abruptly, as if his accordion had stopped mid-sentence to think about its next word.

“I'm not quite sure how to finish it yet”, the young musician admitted. “But I'm working on it.”

“A song that never ends...” Kaydence started.

“...Is no song at all”, the other bug finished, lowering his instrument a bit like he was tired of holding it up. “I know. What do you two think?”

“About how to finish it, you mean?” Grimm asked.

“Yes”, Zephyr replied. “I really want this one to be special, to be different. You know?”

“So you wish to try something you haven't done before but do not know where to start”, the Troupe Master said. “Or where to finish in that instance.”

Brumm's apprentice nodded.

“Have you asked Brumm about it?” Kaydence asked.

“I want it to be a surprise! So no.”

“I think his best works are those he improvised”, the butterfly continued. “Do you know why they are better?”

“Hum... no?”

Kaydence leaned slightly to be at his level and stated :

“Because he doesn't overthink those.”

“So you're saying... yeah”, Zephyr said. “I think I get it. But improvisation... It's not my forte.”

“All that means is that it might take longer to make it your forte”, Grimm told him. “Fortunately, you have all the time in the world here.”

The young musician nodded, going over the whole conversation in his mind. The other two had very good point he needed to think about more. Or, wait, wasn't he supposed to stop overthinking?

“Just play”, the Troupe Master instructed.

“Right now?”

“Obviously.”

Zephyr played his song again from the beginning. He grew more hesitant as he got closer to the point he had stopped at previously, but eventually muttered a barely audible “screw it” and improvised a proper ending.

His audience of two clapped. Grimm was smiling.

“This is very good”, the latter complimented him.

“Thanks, Master. And thank you too Kaydence.”

The three of them exchanged a few more words before Zephyr took his leave to go see his mentor.

Grimm turned to Kaydence again :

“Shall we get back to cuddling then, dear?”

“Cuddling or 'cuddling?'”

“Either is fine by me. You know this.”

The two of them closed the door again and walked back to Kaydence's bed.

“I think I still need some rest after that whole Nightmare King... thing. And to share a drink with my adorable partner.”

“Same as usual?”

“Yes.”

They sat down on the bed as a Grimmkin novice brought them two glasses. Kaydence raised hers to the Grimmkin, who giggled and gave a friendly wave before teleporting away.

“Very good!” Brumm complimented his apprentice after the latter had played his new song.

“Thank you”, Zephyr said, smiling proudly under his mask. “It means so much to me. So much.”

“Mrmm. The song or my approval?”

“Both. Of course.”

“You have come a long way since I started teaching you...”

“I sure hope so. My first attempt was dreadful.”

“Yet you persisted”, Brumm pointed out. “You put effort into it.”

“Does that mean you're proud of me?”

“Yes.”

“Awe, thank you!”

The younger bug strapped his instrument back onto his back then spread out his arms to offer a hug to his mentor. The latter hesitated for half a second before he accepted.

Afterwards, they decided to go get some lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brumm finally got a hug but not for the reasons you might expect


	17. Cori

“I've never had to get time off work because of this”, Atalanta told Vee over lunch break. “I-I mean... as far as I can tell, well, no-one seems to notice anything different in me. Well, it can make it difficult to focus, but I _always_ have problems with that. So the others can't tell the difference.”

“I used to manage a brothel in another kingdom”, Vee explained, putting her glass of water down. “Before I came here, I mean. That's why we're creating a new one now. Taking time off during mating season was common there. Not just in the brothel, but in the whole kingdom. The cultural differences between different lands still surprise me sometimes.”

“Hum... You- you must have liked this job if you're going out of your way to recreate it here...” Atalanta said as she picked up a piece of fruit that she would call appealing and very tasty, but Scarlet would call nearly rotten. “So then why leave the first time?”

“Sorry?”

“Why did you leave that first brothel?”

Vee hesitated. She wasn't sure whether she should tell that story.

“I do not wish to talk about it for now”, she decided. “Anyway, how is Scarlet doing?”

“Pretty good”, Atalanta replied. “We're thinking about having more children.”

“That's wonderful! Surely any child would be glad to be adopted into your family.”

“Hum? Oh, yes. Of course.”

The dancer started feeding on her fruit and staring at nothing in particular. The other butterfly took advantage of this pause in conversation to finish off her own morsel.

“You know”, Vee finally spoke a while later, “there is a friend of a friend of mine who might be able to help.”

“Really?”

“Ze is currently gravid and scared ze won't be able to take care of _all_ these future children. Maybe if ze judges you trustworthy ze could give you one or two eggs to care for.”

“I- Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You'll thank me when it's done. For now I should talk to Cori and see how it turns out.”

Atalanta nodded, started saying thank you again then interrupted herself mid-word.

The two butterflies talked more about Vee's friend's friend until lunch break was over.

“They say some higher beings can breed with a wide range of mortal beasts and bugs”, Hornet told her niece while making some tea. “The fact that I exist at all makes me believe it to be true.”

They were sitting at the table in Hornet's home. Kay was comfortably lying on their mother's head while feeding on some piece of fruit.

“I'm not-” Scarlet started before stopping abruptly. “Well I guess I was a higher being? I had... never really thought about it that way. Not that I remember now anyway.”

“I am not quite found of the term myself. It is easily understood, though.”

Kay rolled onto their back while still firmly holding their food and keeping their perfect balance.

“There is one thing I have been wondering about for a long time”, Hornet confessed. “Spiders usually lay more than one egg and yet my mother only had one child. I have never heard anyone comment on this. I wonder whether there were other eggs that simply did not survive.”

Scarlet glanced at the tea ; it hadn't infused enough yet. Her aunt continued :

“It is possible that if you can breed with your partner, the egg survival rate might be way lower than it would be if you were the same species. You should be prepared for this.”

“Of course. I will talk with Atalanta about it more. She dreams of having a big family like she used to have, but... we might never get as many children as she would like.”

“And what do _you_ want?” Hornet asked, checking the tea and then pouring it for them both.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven't I been clear enough?”

“I guess...” Scarlet started. “No, I _think_ just two or three children would be good. And... I should tell her that, shouldn't I?”

Her aunt nodded then took a sip of tea. Kay got down on the table and wrapped their body around the pot, soaking in the heat. Their mother gave them gentle head scritches and they purred.

“Are you looking forward to having siblings, my child?”

They continued purring.

“I knew you would say that”, Scarlet smiled fondly.

When Atalanta came back from work, she burst through the door and ran to her partner, who was playing with their child using a series of bug-shaped dolls.

“Vee said she knows someone who could give us an egg!” the butterfly exclaimed, bouncing with joy.

Scarlet got up from her sitting position on the floor and Kay flew to somewhere above her head.

“That's wonderful dearie!”

The princess took her partner's hands in hers.

“We- we'll have to talk to this other bug and all first but it's- it's something!” the butterfly continued.

“When can we go see them?”

“Vee will have to talk to zir first. Then I don't know.”

“I see”, Scarlet said, still holding the other's hands between hers. “It's very promising news and... I fear I will have to dampen the mood a bit.”

“Did something happen? Can we not make children? Wh-”

“Oh, we probably can. Probably. But the eggs, well... it is likely most of them wouldn't make it.”

“That makes sense, I mean... hybrids are rare for a reason, I guess...”

“We might not be able to have more than two or three children but this means we will be able to spend more time with each of them”, Scarlet stated.

“...You have a point, I-I just... I will have to- There's no choice but try to get used to the idea that... Oh wait, have you looked up something in case they inherit your powers?”

“Hornet said I used to be bound by a charm, remember?”

Atalanta nodded. She and her partner sat on the couch, Kay between them.

“She thinks the charm was made to protect me”, Scarlet explained. “It also prevented me from teleporting too far from whoever was wearing it. However, very few living bugs still know how to make charms nowadays, and presumably even fewer can bind a living creature to one. I am still searching.”

Kay teleported out of sight. Scarlet got up and went straight to where she knew from experience they would be : the pantry. From the couch, Atalanta could hear clearly :

“No, we are saving those for your other mother!”

Followed by a loud and very annoyed “nyaaa!”

“Kay if you eat my fruits again I won't tell you a story tonight!” the aforementioned other mother called from where she was sitting.

That seemed to calm them down, as they stopped protesting.

“They really don't like letting fruits go bad”, Scarlet commented from the other room.

“They're going just right!”

“If you say so, dearie!”

Cori the mosquito had already finished building and filling a small pool inside zir home in the City of Tears. Very soon ze would lay zir eggs in it.

Cori had already been informed by Madame Vee that the princess and her partner were willing to take an egg. A few others also were. This was both a relief and a source of worry : on one hand this meant the mosquito's own workload would be decreased, but on another she could not trust just anyone to raise the future children right. This was why ze had decided to meet with every candidate for adoption of zir eggs to make sure they were trustworthy. Ze were to meet up with Scarlet & Atalanta today. These two already had a child, so ze was pretty optimistic that they at the very least had some idea of what they were doing.

There was a knock on the door. Cori went to answer and found zirself face-to-face with princess Scarlet herself.

“Oh, hello!” ze greeted her. “I was about to leave to go to your place...”

“I am here to take you there”, Scarlet explained. “Teleportation is quicker than the stag and won't shake you as much.”

“...You can do that?”

“Of course. It might be a bit disorienting for you at first, though. This part should be better if you cover your eyes. Can I hold onto your arm for a second?”

Cori nodded and covered zir eyes ; a second later, Scarlet let go of the mosquito and told zir to uncover zir eyes again. They were now in a completely different house that did not feature the constant background noise of water on glass right outside.

A butterfly entered the living room, followed closely by a floating child with the same face as Scarlet.

“You must be Cori!” the butterfly exclaimed. “Welcome, please take a seat!”

The guest sat on the couch and oh, how ze wished to have the same at home. Scarlet went to make some tea and was followed by her child.

“This one sure was not adopted”, Cori said.

“Well, you could say I adopted them after I got with their birth mother”, Atalanta said.

“Yes, of course. How are you handling parenthood?”

“Straight to the point, huh? It's going pretty well.”

They kept talking about Kay and the unique challenges that came with raising a child that can and will teleport inside the food storage if you take your eyes off of them for a second too long.

“We managed to teach them not to shock others -they can shoot lightning”, Atalanta continued, “but-”

“They can _what_?”

“Shoot lightning”, repeated Scarlet as she brought the tea and set it on the low table in front of the couch. “It surprised us too.”

“At least with my children you shouldn't have that kind of surprise”, Cori pointed out. “Just ordinary mosquitoes.”

Kay landed on Scarlet's head and rested between her horns. The adults kept chatting and drinking tea.

At some point, the child teleported away and came back almost instantly with a doll tiktik in their mouth. They pushed said doll into Scarlet's hand, so she took it. Once again, they disappeared & reappeared, this time with a doll crawlid.

Their mother smiled warmly as she made the tiktik slowly approach the crawlid. Cori observed intently at them playing.

Atalanta got up, rushed out of the room, and soon came back with a toy baldur to join in. Kay flapped their proto-wings and purred, their voice muffled by the doll still in their mouth.

The mothers were putting just as much heart into the play as their child was, if not even more so.

Cori knew at this moment that whichever child ze would give away to this couple, they would be given all the love they needed.

Ze made a mental note to make a bassin for Atalanta and Scarlet to keep a mosquito egg in.


	18. The Good News

Atalanta came home earlier than usual to find Scarlet in her smaller, shadowy form and Kay sleeping next to the mosquito egg bassin in the bedroom. They woke up to greet the butterfly as she entered.

“Are you sick again?” she asked her partner. “Do you want some get better tea?”

Scarlet nodded, and Atalanta went to boil some water. Kay followed her. She gave them a treat while she was at it.

Giving the news would have to wait a few minutes.

She came back to the bedroom, still followed by their child, and put the teacup full of honey drink on the ground next to Scarlet, who started sipping it. Soon, all three of them were sitting on the floor around the small bassin. Everything and everyone was quiet.

Should Atalanta wait until her partner changed back and could talk again?

Scarlet moved just a little farther away from the bassin before getting back to her usual form.

“I feel a bit better already”, she said. “Thank you.”

Her statement was undermined somewhat by a coughing fit. Her partner put a hand on her shoulder.

“Maybe you should rest a little longer.”

“Did you get off work early or has more time than I thought passed?” Scarlet asked.

“I wasn't at work”, Atalanta explained. “I was at the doctor.”

“Are you alright?”

The butterfly couldn't help but let out a laugh.

“Of course I'm alright. I'm hardier than I look. I just had to be absolutely certain- well, you know... certain that it worked!”

“Are you...?”

“Yes! I'm gravid!”

Scarlet pulled her partner into a big hug.

“Dearie, that's wonderful!” she smiled. “I was starting to think your mating season would pass before we actually managed to...”

Atalanta wanted to comment on how fun the attempts had been, but Kay was here so she chuckled wordlessly instead. She knew her partner understood what she meant anyway.

Scarlet's body shook with a suppressed cough.

“Do you want another cup?” the butterfly asked.

“I'll go get it myself”, her partner replied while letting go of her. “Just stay here.”

Scarlet picked up her teacup, teleported out of the room, then returned a moment later with a full cup and an overripe fruit for Atalanta.

The later stood up and thanked her for the snack.

“Oh”, she said, remembering something, “I've already placed an order for stinging nettle. The doctor and I suspect there aren't that many eggs in me right now so, hum... I've only ordered a few.”

Scarlet nodded while drinking from her cup.

“I just hope they won't require essence as well like Kay”, she said eventually. “Plants are easier to buy.”

“Is there even any essence left in that magic needle?” Atalanta asked.

“Not much. I... don't know how much is needed to get Kay to their next stage. Hornet told me the last part of the Ritual involved sacrificing the Nightmare King, but... there isn't one anymore. It might take our child forever to grow now...”

The butterfly pondered on this for a moment as the child tried to perch themself on her head. Doing her best not to destabilise them, she reached for the small silk pouch she was carrying around her waist and took from it the charm Scarlet had given her. The one bearing the visage of the Nightmare King.

“What about this?” she asked. “I- I mean, it's not the same but, well... It's the closest thing we have.”

“You want to give it to them?”

“Well...”

Atalanta stared at the charm in her hand. She actually hadn't gotten around to using it much because of fire safety reasons. Looking at it still made her long for something she did not remember, but the feeling was not as strong as it used to be before she got with new Scarlet.

“If it can help Kay, then...” she continued.

She brought up her hand to where the child was on her head... and they swallowed the charm whole.

Scarlet instantly turned back into her smaller form, dropping her half-finished cup on the floor ; Atalanta rushed to kneel by her side.

“Are you ok?!”

It was difficult to read any expression in black eyes on a dark face, but Scarlet's lack of response seemed to indicate she likely was confused too.

Kay landed next to her. They had full wings now but otherwise hadn't gotten much bigger and their shell had remained grey.

Atalanta gently picked Scarlet up and placed her on the bed before going back for the broken pieces of the teacup.

When she finally turned back a while later, Scarlet apologised profusely for worrying her partner and their child. And for the broken cup.

“So you laid Kay's egg yourself, right?” Vee asked.

Scarlet had decided to invite her for dinner after coming back from the ant nest. She nodded in reply while serving food to both butterflies and to Kay.

“And you also-” Vee continued.

“It is not complicated to understand”, Scarlet interrupted.

“It is not”, her guest agreed. “There are plenty of species that work the same way. But with you two going out of your way to adopt an egg from someone else, I had assumed... you know... It is my bad, really.”

“Adoption is not a back-up plan”, Atalanta stated. “We simply to wanted to try all our options at once.”

The other butterfly nodded and agreed she was right. Scarlet served herself, sat down at the table and changed the conversation topic.

The discussion was going very well when a tiny “mama?” interrupted it. All three adults turned to Kay.

“Was that your first word?” Scarlet asked.

“Yes”, they replied.

She teared up more than she thought she would at this special occasion.

“Mama?”

“She's proud of how much you've grown”, Atalanta explained. “We both are.”

Kay purred.

“Oh, what did you want, again, Kay?” Atalanta asked.

The child gave a long pause, like they forgot whatever they wanted to say earlier.

“More food?” Scarlet guessed.

The child nodded, and both their mothers reached for something to give them. They accepted both treats and pushed them under their wings. They purred loudly as if to say thank you.

“Aren't they adorable?” Vee said.

Her fellow butterfly spent the next few minutes gushing about how adorable Kay was while Scarlet smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The stinging nettle is to lay her eggs on in case you were wondering. It's red admirals' host plant.  
> Also try NOT to think about how likely it is that no Grimm before has ever lived long enough to hear their child's first words.


	19. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes you just need to write cute stuff about bug lesbians

When Grimm had brought up the subject of mating, it had taken Atalanta by surprise. It just hadn't been part of their discussion topics before then. Of course she had hesitated a bit : she didn't even know for sure what Grimm was or how her body worked. However, she couldn't deny that the opportunity of discovering something new sounded incredibly appealing.

To be honest with herself, the butterfly hadn't mated since her friend-with-benefits had moved away and she missed it. A lot. And after everything that had happened, Grimm was the one creature still in her life that she trusted the most.

Because of all of these reasons, it didn't take long for Atalanta to accept the offer.

She woke up in the middle of the night still in the other's arms. One of Grimm's wings was wrapped tightly around the butterfly's shell but under her more delicate wings. She flapped them gently in an attempt to cool off, as her friend's body heat was starting to get a bit too much for her after however many hours they'd been like this. Maybe Grimm had felt her move because, while still sleeping, she unwrapped her own wing to give Atalanta more room. Then the Master of the Troupe went back to being as still as a petrified corpse.

It was so quiet now that, if she focused on it, Atalanta could hear the faint beating sound coming from her friend under her. She couldn't stop the thought from repeating itself again and again : “ _did I actually mate with a goddess in mortal form?_ ”

Her life could have taken many turns, but she could never have anticipated this one. She wasn't complaining though. She was looking forward to possibly doing it again, even.

She guessed Grimm being some kind of divinity, or “close enough” as she had said, explained why she was so different from any bug the butterfly knew. Grimm was no mere bug. She never was.

Atalanta reluctantly moved away from the other's warm body to cool off better. Grimm remained so still she might as well be a statue. One that had been left in the sun on a very hot day and still radiated heat even after sundown, like this one large metallic sculpture Atalanta flew by sometimes when she would visit the market that was-

Wait, what was she thinking about again? Something about higher beings and Grimm, right?

She had heard stories involving higher beings. Her mother would tell them at bedtime to her and all her siblings, and her father would comment on them. Atalanta remembered hearing him say : “higher beings don't care about us. We are nothing to them.”

She wondered whether he was flat out wrong or Grimm was different, because from the beginning she had shown again and again that she did care about at least some bugs. Maybe this was due to her having been raised amongst mortals.

Atalanta flapped her wings one last time. She had cooled down enough, so she cuddled up to Grimm again. The latter wrapped her wing around the butterfly's shell once more but still kept on sleeping.

Atalanta slowly drifted back to sleep, her face nuzzling the other's thorax.

Grimm woke up early in the morning with her friend still in her arms. She smiled fondly at the sleeping butterfly, who looked so peaceful, so adorable, so...

Grimm wasn't awake enough yet to think up worthy enough descriptors.

She replayed the last events in her mind and smiled even more. Atalanta had looked the happiest Grimm had ever seen her. Now, fast asleep on red shell, she looked like a perfect picture of comfort. Through all the Troupe Master's lifetimes, mortal bugs being this comfortable around her had been rare enough to be noteworthy ; she felt so lucky that Atalanta happened to be one of them. Grimm would be glad to accept her into the Troupe if she still wished to join after being told the truth.

Also, Divine would get a kick out of being proven right again. Brumm... well, the Troupe Master wasn't sure what he would say, if he would say anything at all. Even now, after repeated promises to please talk to her if anything was wrong, it still did not always come to him naturally. Grimm would need to talk to Brumm, just to check in on him. She should not leave things unsaid like they would in previous lifetimes.

From time to time, Atalanta would lightly flap her wings or adjust her position on the bed and on Grimm while remaining asleep. It was kind of endearing how even in slumber she never remained still for very long.

Grimm wanted to get up and make Atalanta breakfast (she deserved it after putting on such a show), so she tried to come up with the best way to leave the bed without waking her up. Teleporting away would likely be too sudden a change not to be noticed, so that was out of the question.

Slowly, carefully, she slid from under Atalanta. The latter groaned, but did not seem to wake.

Grimm looked into the appartement's food storage, picked out some pieces of fruits overripe enough for the butterfly and set them on a plate on the table. She quickly teleported outside to gather some buddleia flowers, went back inside, and put them on the plate also. It was only then that she picked some cherry for herself to set on a different plate, then sat at the table to wait for the other to wake up.

She did not have to wait that long.

“Good morning dear”, she greeted the waking butterfly as the latter slid out of bed. “Slept well?”

Atalanta nodded, returned the question and started her morning stretches while listening to the answer.

“I am not used to sleeping in a bed, but... being with you makes it so much better.”

Once Atalanta was done, Grimm offered her breakfast. She had arranged the food by colours.

“That's a big breakfast you've prepared here”, the butterfly pointed out. “Thank you.”

“You need some more energy after... everything”, Grimm smiled.

Atalanta giggled.

“You- you're not wrong.”

She sat down and they ate together.

After a while of comfortable silence, Atalanta spoke up again :

“So, hum... about, well, your... cult-”

“ _Cult?_ ” Grimm repeated, mildly offended.

“Sorry, I- You're a small community dedicated to serving some kind of nightmare god, right? How else do you want me to describe it?”

“Anyway...” The Troupe Master sighed. “If you wish to know more about the Troupe, I shall tell you as much as I can to a non-member.”

Atalanta asked question after question, seemingly eager to try and understand Grimm's world better.

“Well”, the butterfly said eventually, “I have to admit... you're definitely the most interesting creature I've ever shared a bed with.”

“Why, thank you”, Grimm chuckled.

“I'd love to do that again”, Atalanta declared, a smile audible in her voice.

“Are you talking about sleeping or mating?”

“Well... both. If you want to.”

Grimm hooked a finger under the butterfly's chin to make her look up at her face.

“My dear friend”, she smiled fondly, “I would gladly do all of this again if only to see you so happy.”

Atalanta slid her hands behind the other's head and gently pushed it down towards hers so they could press their foreheads together. Grimm closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the moment.


End file.
